Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis
The Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) is a World Health Organization project to eradicate the Filarioidea worms which cause the disease lymphatic filariasis and also treat the people who already have the infection.
The GPELF is a partnership organization in which countries establish a national LF elimination program, various international sponsors fund the programs, regional pharmaceutical companies produce medicine, universities assist with monitoring, and the WHO convenes international conversation.[1]
A study examined the first 8 years of the organization's programs and reported that they were generally successful and that the elimination plan was a good investment for participating countries.[2] A study review 13 years into the program found that the programs were reducing the disease, but not as quickly as planned, and that there would need to be changes to meet the goal of eliminating the disease by 2020.[3]
As an elimination strategy, the organization recommends mass drug administration to at least 65% of the population in areas with an infection rate of 1% or more.[4]
China participated in the program and became LF free in 2007.[5]
References
- Ichimori, Kazuyo; King, Jonathan D.; Engels, Dirk; Yajima, Aya; Mikhailov, Alexei; Lammie, Patrick; Ottesen, Eric A.; Gyapong, John Owusu (11 December 2014). "Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis: The Processes Underlyreing Programme Success". PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 8 (12): e3328. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0003328. PMC 4263400. PMID 25502758.
- Ottesen, Eric A.; Hooper, Pamela J.; Bradley, Mark; Biswas, Gautam; de Silva, Nilanthi (8 October 2008). "The Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis: Health Impact after 8 Years". PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 2 (10): e317. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0000317. PMC 2556399. PMID 18841205.
- Ramaiah, K. D.; Ottesen, Eric A.; Bockarie, Moses (20 November 2014). "Progress and Impact of 13 Years of the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis on Reducing the Burden of Filarial Disease". PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 8 (11): e3319. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0003319. PMC 4239120. PMID 25412180.
- Ndeffo-Mbah, Martial L; Galvani, Alison P (April 2017). "Global elimination of lymphatic filariasis". The Lancet Infectious Diseases. 17 (4): 358–359. doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(16)30544-8. PMID 28012944.
- Fang, Yuan; Zhang, Yi (7 August 2019). "Lessons from lymphatic filariasis elimination and the challenges of post-elimination surveillance in China". Infectious Diseases of Poverty. 8 (1): 66. doi:10.1186/s40249-019-0578-9. PMC 6685173. PMID 31387644.