Thailand Battling Elephantiasis

[george]

Battling elephantiasis

BANGKOK: -- The Public Health Ministry hopes to eliminate elephantiasis from the country by the year 2012 by distributing preventive medicine to most children under two years old.

Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai said "elephantiasis will be eliminated by 2012 if the ministry can provide the preventive medicine to 85 per cent of children under two."

The plan calls for distributing the drug to children across country from 2008 to 2012, as they have to take it continuously for five years.

Elephantiasis is a rare disorder of the lymphatic system caused by two parasitic worms: wuchereria bancrofti, mostly found in the northern part of the country, and brugia malayi, mostly found in the south.

Mosquitoes transmit the disฌease, which results in inflammation of the lymphatic vessels and can cause extreme enlargement of the affected area - usually a limb or parts of the head and torso. The disease is found in tropical regions, particularly in Africa. Men have a higher risk than women.

Most patients with elephantiasis are treated with a drug called diethylcarbamazinealbendazole to destroy the two bacteria. They will receive these drugs for five years.

Currently about 173 patients living in three provinces - Tak, Kanchanaburi and Narathiwat - are infected with elephantiasis. Narathiwat has the highest number of patient with 118, followed by Tak and Kanchanaburi.

However, the public health ministry says that more than 100,000 people living in violenceplagued deep South Narathiwat province may have a higher risk of developing elephantiasis than the rest of country.

"People living here cannot receive medicine to prevent elephantiasis from healthcare workers because of the daily violence in local areas," Witthaya said.

He said healthcare workers could not distribute medicine to local people as the violence occurred every day in this area. This was why about 133,400 people living in 141 villages in Narathiwat are at risk from elephantiasis.

The ministry has instructed healthcare volunteers in the risk area to keep a close watch for the spread of the disease and provide medicine to people who had close contact with it.

-- The Nation 2009-01-16