Lymphatic filariasis, also known as elephantiasis, is caused by parasitic worms of the Filarioidea type. There are three types of worms that cause the disease: Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and Brugia timori. Wuchereria bancrofti is the most common. The worms damage the lymphatic system. The disease is diagnosed by looking, under a microscope, at blood collected during the night. The blood should be in the form of a thick smear and stained with Giemsa. Testing the blood for antibodies against the disease may also be used.
Lymphatic filariasis affects over 120 million and about 1.4 billion people are at risk of the disease in 73 countries and these are in the tropics and sub –tropics of Asia, Africa, Western Pacific, and parts of Central and South America.
How one gets infected;
The disease spreads from one person to another by mosquito bites. When a mosquito bites a person who has lymphatic filariasis, microscopic worms circulating in the person’s blood enter and infect the mosquito. If the infected mosquito bites another person, they can then get lymphatic filariasis. The microscopic worms pass from the mosquito through the skin, and travel to the lymph vessels. In the lymph vessels they grow into adults. An adult worm lives for about 7 years. The adult worms mate and release millions of microscopic worms into the blood. Once a person has the worms in their blood, when a mosquito bites, the mosquito can transmit the disease to yet another person
What shows that a person has Lymphatic Filariasis
The most particular symptom of Lymphatic filariasis isʺ elephantiasisʺ edema with thickening of the skin and 
underlying tissues.
• It leads to marked swelling of the lower half of the body.
However various species of filarial worms tend to affects different parts of the body such as arms, breasts, legs, scrotum and vulva.
Treatment of Lymphatic Filariasis
Treatments for lymphatic filariasis differ depending on the geographic location of the endemic area. In sub-Saharan Africa, albendazole is being used with ivermectin to treat the disease,
Also to keep the swelling from getting worse:
• Carefully wash the swollen area with soap and water every day.
• Use anti-bacterial cream on any wounds. This stops bacterial infections and keeps the swelling from worsening.
• Elevate and exercise the swollen arm or leg to move the fluid and improve the lymph flow.
Additionally, surgical treatment may be helpful for issues related to scrotal elephantiasis and hydrocele. However, surgery is generally ineffective at correcting elephantiasis of the limbs.
Preventive Measures
Prevention includes giving entire communities medicine that kills the microscopic worms.
Controlling mosquitoes and avoiding mosquito bites is another preventive measure which can be done by;
• Sleeping under a mosquito net.
• Using mosquito repellant on your exposed skin between dusk and dawn.
• Take a yearly dose of medicine that kills the worms circulating in the blood. The medicine will kill all of the microscopic worms in the blood and some of the adult worms. It does not kill all of them.
A vaccine is not yet available but is likely to be developed in the near future.
GHANA HEALTH SERVICE, HEALTH PROMOTION UNIT
ASHANTI HEALTH PROMOTION WEEKLY BULLETIN
WEEK 5, August 17, 2015
Josefine Handerson is my name I just don’t know where to start from. But first i want to say a big thanks to God, and secondly to Dr Uwadia Amenifo for his care towards me. My good people, i suffered from Elephantiasis for some time, i have used different medicine, and have followed advises of people just to get a cure for my Elephantiasis without undergoing surgery, but none worked out for me. I search the internet for possible cure, and saw so many comments of people advising on possible cure, i tried all but still did not worked. My doctor said i have to start getting ready to undergo surgery before i will be fine but the finance to undergo the surgery was a very big problem because i am a poor woman. i cried to God to allow me die the way i was if it was his wish, but i kept hoping that God in his infinite mercy will one day send me a cure be it physical or spiritual. So on a faithful day, i came across a testimony by a man who said Dr Uwadia Amenifo Cured him of his long suffered disease with his herbal mixture. Then i checked the said Dr on Facebook where i added him, and i talked with him explaining to him my Elephantiasis and also if he have any sort of herbal remedy that can ease the pains for me. After i explained to him, he told me not to worry that he have cured Elephantiasis before and also please note that elephantiasis is same with podoconiosis, and also lymphedema. and he said he will cure mine without me undergoing surgery. I marveled at what he said because it was strange to me but getting a cure by any means was what i was after, so as a result of this i decided to give him a try. he counseled me, and after which we made necessary arrangement, he prepared the herbal mixture and sent it to me in my country, i used the herbs just as he have prescribed and behold the herbs worked like a magic in my eyes and cured me of my Elephantiasis. all the swollen in my leg begin to reduce and in less than a month my leg size returned to normal and now i am HAPPY to say i am cured and free from Elephantiasis. i have be calling Dr Uwadia Amenifo to tell him thanks for this he have done for me, but he said to me i should tell the world about his herbs, and that’s exactly what i am doing now. Please are you still there suffering from Elephantiasis? or you have other health challenges and you want someone to help you out? Please in a hurry contact Dr Uwadia Amenifo now. His phone number is +2349052015874. His email is (doctoruwadiaamenifo@gmail.com). Thank you all for your listening time.