Elephantiasis on rise in Nepal

Bhaktapur, Apr. 5 (RSS): The disease of elephantiasis is on the rise in Nepal as the Ministry of Health has not been giving proper attention to the treatment of the patients suffering from the disease and treating it as an ordinary disease, according to a research study being conducted here.

The disease of elephantiasis or lymphatic filariasis is easily transmitted by a culex, a female mosquito from a patient suffering from elephantiasis to a healthy person.

According to experts, elephantiasis is transmitted to a healthy person if the culex mosquito bites a healthy person on his artery. This after being bitten by culex, obstruction is caused in the flow of blood in the artery resulting in swelling of the lower part of the body, the experts say.

The disease of lymphatic filariasis is transmitted to a person by a parasite known as wucheria bancrofti.

After a person suffers from lymphatic filariasis, the hands and legs swell, a milky substance is visible in urine, the breasts become flabby, the testicles swell and the patient starts suffering from continuous fever.

After the World Health Organization acknowledged lymphatic filariasis as a major problem of public health in 1999 and pledged to eradicate the disease by 2015, a detailed survey and research on the disease was carried out in Nepal.

The communicable and contagious disease research center with the cooperation of the lymphatic filariasis support center of the liverpool school of tropical medicine, United Kingdom and the World Health Organization had conducted a detailed survey and research on the disease in 37 districts of Nepal.

A research team led by executive director of communicable and contagious disease research center and chief of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Public Health Research Laboratory Reader Dr. Jeevan Bahadur Sherchand had examined 4,488 people of 37 districts and found 582 people suffering from second phase lymphatic filariasis.

The research team comprising representatives of the VDRTC and epideology and Disease Control Division of His Majesty’s Government had conducted a detailed survey and research for more than six months.

According to Dr. Sherchand, most of the lymphatic filariasis patients were found in Katunje and Duwakot villages of Bhaktapur, the old areas of Kathmandu including Tokha and Gorkarna, Dupche of Nuwakot and Bardiya district.

At present lymphatic filariasis has spread in 67 districts and malaria in 63 districts of the Kingdom of Nepal, Dr. Sherchand said.

The disease is detected after conducting blood tests of people suffering from swollen hands and legs, he added.

Dr. Sherchan said that national strategy for controlling the spread of lymphatic filariasis has been prepared and handed over to His Majesty’s Government.

Dr. Sherchand says that a well planned system for identification and treatment of patients suffering from lymphatic filariasis will commence in 2003.

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