Multimillion-shilling drive to end elephantiasis moves to the coast
Mwatunza Maamun (seated) and Mohamed Hassan, members of a peer educators group perform a play to sensitise the community about the importance of seeking treatment when infected with elephantiasis during the launch of fourth round of Mass Administration of Drugs to combat the disease at Muhaka health centre in Msambweni, 2008. PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Statistics from the Ministry of Health show that elephantiasis affects nearly 80,000 men who suffer from genital disease complications, particularly swelling of the scrotum and testicles due to lymph fluid build-up, also called hydrocele.
- Lymph is a thin, clear fluid that circulates throughout the body to remove waste, bacteria, and other substances from tissues.
The Government has set aside nearly Sh1 billion to treat elephantiasis, a disease characterised by disfigured gigantic legs, breasts and genitals, in five counties of the coastal region.
Elephantiasis, also called lymphatic filariasis, does not have symptoms but leads to permanent physical disability. It also causes the thickening and hardening of skin. It is caused by a thread-like microscopic worm, which is spread through a mosquito bite.
The ambitious project, funded by various donors, will target over 3.5 million residents of Mombasa, Kilifi, Lamu, Tana River and Taita Taveta counties with drugs to kill traces of the parasite that causes the disease, and surgical procedures for those with complications arising from infection.
Dr Matendechero said this is part of a campaign that began last year in other parts of the country and is now scaled up to include the coast regions. PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP
However, children below two years, expectant women, those sick, and the elderly will be excluded.
The donors include The End Fund (set up to control and eliminate neglected tropical diseases such as leprosy, elephantiasis, river blindness, and rabies), Glaxo SmithKline (a British pharmaceutical company) and Eisai (a Japanese pharmaceutical firm).
The End Fund has committed to giving Kenya Sh80 million annually to carry out the treatment, while Eisai will donate 8.4 million tablets of Diethylcarbamazine Citrate (DEC), used in the treatment of elephantiasis. These drugs cost about Sh400 million and will be provided for three years.
Further, the donors will also give Kenya deworming tablets valued at about Sh700 million.
AFFECTS NEARLY 80,000 MEN
Statistics from the Ministry of Health show that elephantiasis affects nearly 80,000 men who suffer from genital disease complications, particularly swelling of the scrotum and testicles due to lymph fluid build-up, also called hydrocele. Lymph is a thin, clear fluid that circulates throughout the body to remove waste, bacteria, and other substances from tissues.
Another 55,000 people, mostly women, suffer from lymphedema, where excess lymph collects in tissues and causes swelling (edema) in legs, for instance, due to damage to, or dysfunction of, the lymphatic system. This curtails the mobility of those infected and is a cause of severe disability, pain and social stigma.
Head of the Neglected Tropical Diseases Unit, Dr Sultani Matendechero , told HealthyNation that “hydrocele can be corrected through surgery, but lymphedema can only be managed as it cannot be reversed”.
“Therefore,” he added, “hygiene to keep the infected area clean is paramount. Also, patients are advised to elevate the affected limbs to help the collected fluid to circulate.”
Dr Matendechero said this is part of a campaign that began last year in other parts of the country and is now scaled up to include the coast regions. The targeted communities will also be taught how to prevent the disease, which is mainly linked to poor sanitation and improper housing that offers breading grounds for mosquitoes.
It is part of an ongoing global campaign to eliminate elephantiasis by 2020, spearheaded by the World Health Organisation.
