Lao PDR Becomes Second Country In 2023 After Bangladesh To Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis

Relevance: GS2 - Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Prelims - Current Events of International Importance

(Source: Down To Earth, 10/18/2023)

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Why in the news?

• Recently, the WHO announced that the Lao People’s Democratic Republic had officially eliminated lymphatic filariasis.
• This was the second neglected tropical disease (NTD) eliminated by the country following the elimination of trachoma as a public health hazard in 2017.

WHO progress report on Lymphatic Filariasis

• The recent WHO progress report on Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) revealed that Lao PDR became the second country to eliminate LF in 2023 after Bangladesh.
• At present, 19 countries have successfully eliminated LF of which 11 belong to the WHO Western Pacific Region, including Lao PDR.
  • Four countries in the WHO South-East Asia region - Bangladesh, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Thailand - have eliminated LF.
  • Two countries in the WHO Africa Region - Malawi and Togo - and one in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region - Yemen - have also eliminated the disease.
• The Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) launched in 2000 has helped reduce the global population requiring LF interventions has decreased by 53% in the last fifteen years.
• According to the WHO report, 10 countries have stopped the National Mass Drug Administration (MDA).
  • This is an indicator that Benin, Cameroon, Eritrea, Mali, Sao Tome and Principe, Uganda, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Timor-Leste, and Brunei Darussalam are on the right track but have not yet met the criteria for validation.
  • Kenya has also made progress and the country’s MDA strategy can be stopped soon.

Mass Drug Administration

• Mass drug administration is the most effective method for halting the transmission of the disease by treating residents of LF-endemic areas.
  • The WHO has recommended multiple rounds of MDA, covering around 65% of the population.
  • The WHO has recommended a combination of ivermectin, diethylcarbamazine, and albendazole (IDA).
• MDA has enabled more than 935.5 million individuals in 72 LF-endemic countries to receive more than 9.3 billion cumulative treatments since 2000.
• Global disease burden: 794 million people, required MDA for the treatment of LF globally in 2022.
  • Only 326 million people or 41% of the 794 million people who needed MDA in 2022, were treated globally.
• Disease burden in India: More than half of the people requiring MDA for the treatment of LF in 2022 were from India.
  • However, only 152.2 million people, or 34% received treatment in the country, according to a WHO report.

Elimination of NTDs

• Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) is a term used to describe a group of infections that are most common among marginalized communities in the developing regions of Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
• They are considered “neglected” because they generally receive less funding for research and treatment when compared to tuberculosis, HIV-AIDS, and malaria.
• The elimination of NTDs by 2030 is one of the primary objectives of SDG 3 i.e. health for all.
• Although they are preventable and treatable, they have health, social, and economic consequences on account of their interrelationships with poverty and ecological systems.
• Cause: Pathogens like viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and parasitic worms.
• Affected areas: NTDs are common in tropical areas with inadequate access to clean water or safe human waste disposal systems.
• Examples: snakebite envenomation, scabies, yaws, trachoma, Leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, etc.
• Global NTD scenario: Nearly 1.7 billion people across the world are affected by around 20 NTDs that impact over 1.7 billion people worldwide.
• India also has a large burden of NTDs like kala-azar and lymphatic filariasis and eliminated NTDs like guinea worm, trachoma, and yaws.
• Indian initiatives:
  • APELF: The Accelerated Plan for Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis was launched in 2018 to accelerate efforts towards the elimination of NTDs.
  • WHO-supported regional alliance: India, Bangladesh, and Nepal established a regional alliance in 2005 with support from the WHO to fast-track early diagnosis and treatment of vulnerable populations and improve disease surveillance.

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FAQs

MCQs

Question: Consider the following statements:

1. Tapeworm is a hermaphrodite.
2. Round-worm has separate sexes.
3. Filaria is caused by a nematode.
4. Guinea-worm is an annelid.

Which of these is/are correct? (UPSC CSE 2001)

(a) 1 and 2

(b) 1, 2 and 3

(c) 3 and 4

(d) 2, 3 and 4

Question: Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer by using the codes given below: (UPSC CSE 1997)

List- I List-II

1. Malaria 1. Bone marrow
2. Filaria 2. Brain
3. Encephalitis 3. Muscle
4. Leukaemia 4. Lymph node
5. Blood cells

(a) A – 5; B – 3; C – 2; D – 1

(b) A – 5; B – 4; C – 2; D – 1

(c) A – 4; B – 3; C – 5; D – 1

(d) A – 5; B – 4; C – 1; D – 2

Question: Consider the following diseases :

1. Diphtheria
2. Chickenpox
3. Smallpox

Which of the above diseases has/have been eradicated in India? (UPSC CSE 2014)

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 only

(c) 1, 2, and 3

(d) None