OSSSC Nursing Disease Guide

Communicable · High priority

Lymphatic filariasis

Core disease facts with the linked government programme, prevention and treatment or cure reality.

TypeParasitic worm disease — usually caused in India by the filarial nematode Wuchereria bancrofti.

Image-based identification

Giemsa-stained blood smear showing a Wuchereria bancrofti microfilaria
What to identifyWuchereria bancrofti microfilariae are sheathed, and nuclei do not reach the tail tip; peripheral blood is classically collected at night.Image credit: CDC DPDx / Oregon State Public Health Laboratory — public domain

Government programmes, schemes and services

  • Programme: National Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis: Aims to interrupt transmission through annual mass drug administration and to reduce suffering through morbidity management and disability prevention.
  • Campaign: Sarva Dawa Sevan / Mass Drug Administration: Offers preventive medicines to eligible people in endemic districts whether or not they have symptoms; full community participation is essential.
  • Service: Morbidity Management and Disability Prevention: Teaches limb hygiene and exercise, treats acute attacks and provides hydrocele surgery to reduce disability.

Prevention

  • Prevent: Eligible people swallow campaign drugs; mosquito control; limb hygiene and skin care

Treatment and cure reality

  • Treat: Antifilarial treatment reduces infection/transmission; established elephantiasis may not be fully reversible. Hydrocele can be surgically treated.

Must remember

  • Common vector: Culex quinquefasciatus.
  • Chronic features: Lymphoedema/elephantiasis and hydrocele.
  • Two programme pillars: Interrupt transmission through Mass Drug Administration; provide Morbidity Management and Disability Prevention.
  • IDA regimen: Ivermectin + Diethylcarbamazine + Albendazole in eligible areas/populations.
  • Mass Drug Administration exclusions: Common programme exclusions include pregnancy, children below 2 years, and seriously ill persons.
  • Compliance trap: Drugs must be swallowed under supervision where the campaign directs; distribution alone is not effective coverage.
  • Home care: Limb washing, skin care, exercise/elevation, treatment of entry lesions, and hydrocele surgery when indicated.
  • Target: Elimination of lymphatic filariasis by 2027.