Filariasis
2023 FEB 15
Preliminary >
Science and Technology > Miscellaneous > Diseases
Why in news?
- The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched a nationwide Mass Drug Administration (MDA) campaign aimed at ending filariasis disease.
About Filariasis:
- Filariasis is a parasitic infection caused by microscopic, thread-like worms known as filariae.
- It is spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes, and it affects millions of people in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.
- India aims to eliminate filariasis by 2027, three years ahead of the global target.
Causes and Transmission:
- Lymphatic filariasis is caused by infection with parasites classified as nematodes (roundworms) of the family Filariodidea.
- There are 3 types of these thread-like filarial worms:
- Wuchereria bancrofti, which is responsible for 90% of the cases,
- Brugia malayi, which causes most of the remainder of the cases,
- Brugia timori, which also causes the disease.
Symptoms:
- Lymphatic filariasis infection involves asymptomatic, acute, and chronic conditions.
- In chronic conditions, it leads to lymphoedema (tissue swelling) or elephantiasis (skin/tissue thickening) of limbs and hydrocele (scrotal swelling).
Treatment:
- The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends three drug treatments to accelerate the global elimination of lymphatic filariasis.
- The treatment, known as IDA, involves a combination of ivermectin, diethylcarbamazine citrate and albendazole.
- The plan is to administer these drugs for two consecutive years.
- The life of the adult worm is hardly four years, so it would die a natural death without causing any harm to the person.
PRACTICE QUESTION:
Consider the following statements regarding ‘Filariasis’ disease:
1. It is caused by bacteria
2. It is spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes
3. The disease had been eliminated from India in 2022
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 2 only
(d) 1,2 and 3
Answer