India has made significant progress in the fight against lymphatic filariasis (filariasis) in recent years. Recently, the National Center for Vector-Borne Disease Control (NCVBDC) launched a Mass Drug Administration (MDA) campaign targeting 63 districts of 6 states to combat the disease. The objective was to exceed the coverage rate of 82.5% reached in 2023.
Filaria is an infectious disease that is transmitted through mosquito bites. For this reason, water retention may occur, that is, fluid may accumulate in certain parts of the body. In many cases, it can even lead to deformity or disability.
The organ affected by this disease swells and becomes heavy. Generally, due to this, the size of the foot becomes very heavy. This is why it is also called elephantiasis or elephant foot disease. In common parlance, this is called filariasis. Currently, 74 million people in India are at risk of contracting filariasis.
so today’medical certificate“I’m going to talk about filariasis. You will also learn that-
What are the symptoms of filariasis? How is this disease spread? What are the treatment and prevention measures?
3.1 million people in India suffer from filariasis According to a report published in the Indian Journal of Public Health, around 74 million people in India are at risk of filariasis, while 3.1 million people are infected with it. Of these, around 2.3 million people are symptomatic, meaning symptoms are visible in their body. A large number of people are infected with filariasis but do not have any symptoms in their body. Despite this, his lymphatic system and kidneys are damaged.
Why do hands and feet get bigger in cases of filariasis?
The lymphatic system is an important system in our body. It removes excess water from the tissues and returns it to the bloodstream. It creates a kind of white blood cells that protect us from diseases by fighting against germs and passing them away. in the blood circulation. It carries waste from our blood. The kidneys expel it through urine. The lymphatic system helps control blood pressure.
Due to a malfunction in this system, the immune system begins to weaken. The tissues begin to fill with water. Due to this, the risk of infection and allergy increases, and due to increased swelling of infected organs, their size begins to increase.
What are the symptoms of filariasis? Dr Pankaj Verma, senior consultant at the department of internal medicine at Narayana Hospital in Gurugram, says that in most cases of filariasis, no symptoms are observed. This means that most people are asymptomatic.
Some infected people have mild symptoms, while one in three people have severe symptoms. In this, the hands, legs or face become so heavy that they take the form of a disability.
What are its symptoms, see in the chart.
Which organs are affected by filariasis? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, filariasis affects many organs. This has a detrimental effect on the kidneys. Apart from this, hands, feet and skin are also affected. Our immune system is also affected.
Dr. Pankaj Verma says that parasites are the main cause of filariasis. These gradually damage our lymphatic system. It first affects the internal organs. This is why we don’t know anything at the beginning. When the infection increases too much, its effects also begin to appear in the external organs of the body.
For this reason, what types of changes occur in which organs, see the chart below.
What are the complications caused by filariasis?
The biggest complication of this disease is the weakening of our immune system. The body is unable to fight off minor allergies and bacterial infections. Every small or big illness begins to affect you.
Apart from this, inflammation caused by fluid accumulation in the tissues is also a big problem.
Filariasis is caused by parasitic worms. These worms reach the lymphatic system very slowly through the bloodstream. There, an adult parasitic worm lives for 7 years. It produces millions of parasites during this period. Their number is increasing very quickly. So it becomes difficult to treat.
What is the treatment for filariasis?
Dr. Pankaj Verma says that in case of filariasis infection, its treatment is more or less easy in the first few days. It is also possible to prevent its symptoms from getting worse, but it becomes difficult to treat over time. The problem is that its symptoms are not visible in the first few days. It therefore becomes a lifelong disease.
In its treatment, the drugs Albendazole, DEC and Ivermectin are administered.
Take precautions if you have filariasis
Dr. Pankaj Verma says that if anyone is suffering from filariasis, he should improve his lifestyle to avoid bacterial infections and allergies and make life easier.
What are the ways to avoid filariasis?
The best way to avoid filariasis is to avoid mosquito bites. Since the risk of filariasis is very high in India, we need to take special precautions.
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