The World Health Organization (WHO) has congratulated Brazil on eliminating lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “Eliminating the disease is a momentous achievement that requires unwavering efforts.” “I congratulate Brazil on its efforts to free its people from the scourge of this painful, disfiguring, disabling and stigmatizing disease. It’s another example of the amazing progress we’ve made and gives hope to the many other countries still battling lymphatic filariasis that they too can eradicate the disease.”
Lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis, is a debilitating parasitic disease spread by mosquitoes. For centuries, this disease has affected millions of people around the world, causing pain, chronic severe swelling, severe disability, and social stigma.
Effective investment at country level
Over the past decades, Brazil has implemented comprehensive measures to eliminate lymphatic filariasis. This included the development of a national plan to combat the disease in 1997, mass distribution of antiparasitic drugs, vector eradication efforts, and intense surveillance, especially in the most affected areas. region. These efforts helped the country end disease transmission in 2017.
Eradication of lymphatic filariasis was also one of the goals of the Brazilian Saudabel Program. The program is a multi-sectoral effort aimed at ending socially determined diseases with a whole-of-government approach and civil society participation, including the involvement of affected people in disease control. control efforts. The program was launched in February 2024 with the participation of WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director and WHO Regional Director Dr.・It was opened with a ceremony by President Silva. America continent. During the post-elimination phase, Brazil, PAHO and WHO will continue to closely monitor the possibility of resurgence.
“This milestone is the result of many years of dedication, hard work and collaboration between Brazilian health workers, researchers and authorities,” said Dr Jarvas Barbosa, Director of PAHO and WHO Regional Director for the Americas. “Brazil’s extensive and unified health system, coupled with robust specialized laboratory expertise and strong surveillance, is essential to breaking the chain of transmission and is helping other countries to prevent lymphatic filariasis and other concerns. We urge progress towards eradicating these tropical diseases.”
global progress
Globally, Brazil joins 19 other countries and territories verified by WHO to have eliminated lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem. These are Malawi and Togo in the African region. Egypt and Yemen in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Thailand in the Southeast Asian region. Cambodia, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Marshall Islands, Niue, Palau, Tonga, Vanuatu, Vietnam, and Wallis and Futuna in the Western Pacific region.
In the Americas, three endemic countries (Dominican Republic, Guyana, and Haiti) still require large-scale drug administration to stop transmission and are working to achieve elimination goals.
In addition to being the 20th country to have verified elimination of lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem, Brazil has become the 53rd country in the world to eliminate at least one neglected tropical disease. .
Note to editor
Lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis, is a neglected tropical disease. Infectious diseases occur when filarial parasites are transmitted to humans through mosquitoes. Infections usually occur in childhood and cause hidden damage to the lymphatic system.
Painful, disfiguring and visible symptoms such as lymphedema, elephantiasis, and scrotal swelling appear later in life and can lead to permanent disability. These patients are not only physically disabled but also suffer emotional, social, and economic losses that lead to stigma and poverty.
Eradication of lymphatic filariasis is possible by stopping the spread of infection through preventive chemotherapy. The preventive chemotherapy strategy recommended by the WHO to eliminate lymphatic filariasis is high-dose drug administration (MDA). MDA involves administering annual doses of a drug to an entire at-risk population. The drugs used have limited effectiveness against adult parasites, but effectively reduce the density of microfilariae in the bloodstream, preventing the spread of the parasite to mosquitoes.
In 2023, 657 million people in 39 countries and territories lived in areas where preventive chemotherapy was required to stop the spread of infection. In the Americas, Costa Rica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago were removed from the WHO list of countries endemic to lymphatic filariasis in 2011. The Neglected Tropical Diseases Roadmap 2021-2030 aims to prevent, control, eliminate and eradicate 20 diseases and disease groups. Advances against lymphatic filariasis and other neglected tropical diseases will reduce the human and economic burden on some of the world’s most disadvantaged communities.
