> Disease Burden

Department of Public Health & Preventive Medicine

FILARIA

LYMPHATIC FILARIASIS IN TAMIL NADU

  • 13 Districts viz., Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Tiruchirapalli, Perambalur, Pudukottai and Kanyakumari  are endemic for Lymphatic Filariasis.

  • 29.7 million people are exposed to the risk of infection with a distribution of 22.4 million in rural and 7.3 million in urban areas.
  • Year 2000 statistics accounts for 13564 Hydrocele cases and 22703 Lymphoedema cases and 2693 mf. carriers in blood were detected in the endemic districts.

PROGRAMME

  • National Filaria Control Programme is functioning in 13 endemic districts with 25 Control Units and 44 Filaria Night Clinnics.

Physical achievement under this programme for the last five years are as follows:

Year

No. of persons examined

No. of positive for Mf.

Mf. Rate

No. of disease case

Disease rate

Endemicity rate

1996

1044444

4475

0.42

1397

0.13

0.56

1997

1131476

3597

0.31

1886

0.16

0.47

1998

1136072

2254

0.19

1715

0.15

0.34

1999

1031604

789

0.07

2030

0.20

0.27

2000

1033093

1338

0.12

1590

0.14

0.26

2001

1095717

1007

0.09

1041

0.09

0.18

  • DEC MDA was implemented in Perambalur Dt year 2002 as 13-th district.

  • DEC Mass Administration is implemented in 12 endemic districts from 1996 onwards with DEC alone in 6 Districts and DEC and Albendazole in 6 District.

Physical achievement under this programme are as follows:

Year

Round

Target Population (in lakhs)

Population covered
(in lakhs)

Coverage
%

M.F. Rate

Pre

1997-98

I

260.00

227.816

92.74

0.881

 

1998-99

II

264.00

237.679

94.04

0.326

 

1999-00

III

268.30

242.080

93.16

0.176

 

2000-01

IV

DEC 262

ALB 132

252

126

96.1

95.6

0.20

 

2001-02

V

253.25

251.04

89.40

 

  • Morbidity Management and Control are available in National Filaria Control Programme, Chengalpattu Centre, 42 Filaria and Malaria Clinic in Government Hospitals of endemic districts of Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur and Tanjore.

Expenditure details for these schemes :

Year

State Scheme
(J.A. Filaria Control)
Rs.

Shared Scheme
(UF NFCP)
Rs.

1995-96

1,00,89,000

33,04,000

1996-97

1,20,79,000

66,83,000

1997-98

2,26,84,000

1,80,50,000

1998-99

4,57,38,000

60,40,000

1999-2000

3,86,60,000

51,21,000

LIFE CYCLE OF THE DISEASE

  • Lymphatic Filariasis is caused by parasitic worm which occur in Lymphatic vessels and cause Lymphatic damage which leads to swelling of limbs and other parts of the body.

  • The parasitic worm is an adult one which harbours its young one embryoes (or) micro filaria in the perihperal blood and appears during night hours.  The Mf. parasite can be detected only during night blood survey.

  • The disease is transmitted to vector mosquitoes through Microfilaria which circulates in the blood stream are picked up by biting of vector mosquitoes.

  • The microfilaria enters vector mosquitoes and develops in the vector mosquitoes and infective larvae enters human when mosquitoes feeds.

  • Infective larvae migrate to the lymphatic system and developes into adult worms.

SYMPTOMS

  • Acute recurrent fever with ADL attacks.

  • Swelling of limbs, Genitalia and Breasts.

TREATMENT

  • DEC tablet  @ 6 mg. /kg. body weight for 12 days is administered for mf. carrier cases present in circulating peripheral blood which can be detected only during night blood survey.

  • DEC tablets @      6 mg./kg/ body weight for 7 days in a month is administered.
  • Foot hygiene, foot care and physical exercise is suggested.

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