Lymphatic Filariasis News and Research

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Lymphatic filariasis is a parasitic disease caused by microscopic, thread-like worms. The adult worms only live in the human lymph system. The lymph system maintains the body's fluid balance and fights infections. Lymphatic filariasis is spread from person to person by mosquitoes.

People with the disease can suffer from lymphedema and elephantiasis and in men, swelling of the scrotum, called hydrocele. Lymphatic filariasis is a leading cause of permanent disability worldwide. Communities frequently shun and reject women and men disfigured by the disease. Affected people frequently are unable to work because of their disability, and this harms their families and their communities.

University Hospital Bonn coordinates eWHORM project to combat worm infections in sub-Saharan Africa

African and European partners join forces to enable the World Health Organisation's (WHO) "Road Map for Neglected Tropical Diseases" (NTDs) and reduce the burden of disease associated with worm infections.

11 Apr 2023

Q&A: COVID-19 pandemic has widened gender inequities in health

Health inequalities facing women and girls, already stark before the onset of COVID-19, have widened glaringly during the pandemic. Lockdowns restricted access to sexual and reproductive health services, increased violence against women, and interrupted girls’ education.

9 May 2022

New drug targeting LF and onchocerciasis begins its first in human trial in Liverpool

A new drug developed by an LSTM led partnership, which targets the neglected tropical diseases lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis has begun its first in human trial.

6 Jan 2022

WHO and Sanofi sign new agreement to sustain specific efforts to eliminate NTDs

The World Health Organization (WHO) and Sanofi – one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies – have signed a new agreement for donations of medicines to sustain specific efforts to eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).

16 Dec 2021

Researchers examine whether community administration of ivermectin influences malaria transmission

Researchers from the LSTM based Cochrane Infectious Disease Group explored whether community administration of ivermectin influences malaria transmission.

29 Jun 2021

Infrared thermal imaging camera can help monitor the progression of lymphatic filariasis

A paper published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine presents the results from a study which examined the use of an infrared thermal imaging camera as a novel non-invasive point-of-care tool for lymphatic filariasis lower-limb lymphoedema.

26 May 2021

WHO releases new strategy on water, sanitation and hygiene to end neglected tropical diseases

Today, on World Water Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) released its strategy on water, sanitation and hygiene as part of joint efforts by the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and the neglected tropical diseases (NTD) sectors towards ending these diseases over the next decade.

23 Mar 2021

New evidence supports ivermectin use in children weighing less than fifteen kilograms

Millions of children weighing less than 15kg are currently denied access to Ivermectin treatment due to insufficient safety data being available to support a change to the current label indication.

18 Mar 2021

Could Ivermectin be an effective antiviral against SARS-CoV-2?

A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial has recently demonstrated that Ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug, can reduce in-hospital mortality rate of COVID-19 patients.

11 Jan 2021

Scientists decipher the structure of protein found in parasites that cause neglected tropical diseases

Brazilian researchers have managed to decipher the structure of a protein found in parasites that cause neglected tropical diseases, paving the way to the development of novel medications.

8 Jan 2021

Researchers receive $2.95 million grant to create improved diagnostics for worm infections

Global campaigns to eliminate two tropical parasitic worm infections have been hindered by a lack of good diagnostic tools.

7 Jan 2021

Researchers identify traditional Ghanaian medicines to eradicate neglected tropical diseases

The discovery of new drugs is vital to achieving the eradication of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in Africa and around the world.

4 Jan 2021

World Health Organization, Sanofi sign new agreement to eliminate neglected tropical diseases

15 Dec 2020

Illustrations by Nigerian artist kickstart debate on neglected tropical disease

Illustrations by a local artist in Nigeria are helping health workers and policy makers understand what it's really like to live with a neglected tropical disease (NTD).

5 Nov 2020

Despite COVID-19 setbacks, WHO aims to eliminate lymphatic filariasis by 2030

In 2019, 538.1 million people were treated for lymphatic filariasis (LF) in 38 countries that implemented mass drug administration (MDA) of populations at risk of the disease, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

2 Nov 2020

Study shows how common drug paralyzes the parasites that cause elephantiasis

For years, many scientists and medical professionals likely misunderstood how a commonly prescribed medication for elephantiasis battled the disease, but a new study sets the record straight.

18 Aug 2020

Study identifies three potential drugs to eradicate parasitic worms

Scientists have revealed a way to eradicate parasitic worms by stopping them from using alternative metabolism pathways provided by bacteria that live within them, according to new findings published today in eLife.

12 Aug 2020

Study uncovers how schistosome worms trick the host's immune system

Researchers uncovered in a new study how schistosomes, parasitic flatworms that infect more than 200 million people in the tropics, trick the host's immune system and continue producing eggs for decades.

3 Aug 2020

Using genomics to identify promising novel treatment for lymphatic filariasis

Using innovative RNA sequencing techniques, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine Institute for Genome Sciences identified a promising novel treatment for lymphatic filariasis, a disabling parasitic disease that is difficult to treat.

3 Dec 2019

Common gout medications can kill elephantiasis-causing parasites

Treatment with two common FDA-approved gout medications have been found to cause rapid death to the parasites that cause elephantiasis.

3 Oct 2019