Elephantiasis refers to the enlargement and hardening of limbs or body parts due to the swelling of tissue. In simple terms, someone has elephantiasis when a part of their body swells abnormally more than the rest of the body. A patient with this medical condition shares their experience living with elephantiasis. They simply woke up one day to their feet swollen. The swelling gradually progressed to their legs. Having swollen legs is very embarrassing and people look at them in a weird way.
One example after seeking medical help for months, one patient was diagnosed with elephantiasis, which is scientifically known as lymphatic filariasis (FL). This disfiguring disease occurs when filarial parasites are transmitted to humans through mosquitoes. This patient stated that the discrimination and stigmatization that they have to battle has a psychological effect. They contracted the disease at a very tender age and they remember having to summon courage daily to attend school or go to new places now in tertiary institutions. It affects their education and social interaction with others. Sometimes, they even needed assistance to stand up.
Treatment in the form of drugs to kill the filarial parasite in blood.
The patient is presenting taking medication and happy that the treatment gives some hope that the legs will not swell more than it is now or infect others. Although elephantiasis currently has no cure, the patient is receiving treatment in the form of drugs to kill the filarial parasite in her blood and stop the swelling. The LF medications are provided by the Nigerian Government with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), Merck and GSK. The drugs are distributed across all the 583 endemic Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the country.
This disease is one of the 20 diverse Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), which affects more than 120 million people in 72 countries in Asia, Africa, the Western Pacific, parts of the Caribbean, and South America. According to WHO, NTDs thrive mainly in rural areas, conflict zones and hard-to-reach regions. These are places where access to clean water and environment is rare and worsened by climate change. As of the most endemic countries, Nigeria accounts for 25 percent of the NTD burden in Africa. Presently, 15 of these 20 diseases are identified in Nigeria. Through concerted efforts, one of the NTDs (Guinea worm) has since been eliminated.
WHO’s roadmap for eliminating NTD and attaining SDGs.
In January 2021, WHO announced its 10-year roadmap for eliminating NTD, with ambitious targets and innovative approaches to tackling the diseases. This step is geared towards the plan to attain Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. WHO Nigeria and its partners has collaborated with the Federal Ministry of Health to develop a more robust roadmap at subnational levels that does not neglect the case management of NTDs, the human resource aspects and the programmatic components.
The National Coordinator of Neglected Tropical Diseases at the Federal Ministry of Health, Mr. Nse Akpan, said that the elimination of all forms of NTDs will reduce poverty and increase productivity in the country. He said that NTDs affect a nation’s productivity because they have a critically adverse effect on the people infected by any of them. Eliminating these diseases will reduce malnutrition and increase child enrollment in school. It will also reduce morbidity and disability, and increase food production in the country as well as promote good mental health and well-being of citizens.
Eliminating NTDs will reduce malnutrition and poverty.
Disease tends to affect regions without quality healthcare. These people are consequently left vulnerable to these debilitating diseases. However, they can be effectively controlled, eliminated or eradicated through combined public health measures, effective treatment and community sensitization. Eliminating these diseases will reduce the rate of poverty in the country because the affected people will not have to spend all their money on treatment and drugs. Children and young adults will also have the opportunity to go to school or their vocational centers without stress.
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The stigma from contracting elephantiasis – Patient says the discrimination and stigmatization has a psychological effect. – Express your point of view.
We can’t shy away from the fact such kind of things do result in stigmatisation and discrimination especially when it obvious like the contracted elephantiasis which causes swollen of the body part. Early detection should be treated to prevent further swelling or spread to others. It is just unfortunate that there is no cure for it now.
Due to the nature of the disease form of infection it will definitely attract discrimination and stigmatisation. It could be very traumatizing and has it psychological effects. Anyway, it can be treated but the cure it yet to be discovered. It will be better to treat early to reduce swelling.
We all need to derail from stigmatizing people with elephantiasis. Instead they should be encouraged and supported.
Discrimination and stigmatization are inevitable due to the nature of the disease or infection. It has the potential to be psychologically traumatic.
Elephantiasis should be treated at early stages to prevent further swelling or spread to others. we shouldn’t take these thing with levity hands.
Someone with the disease is likely to experience discrimination because the disease show a lot on physical body it will be see well so people might trying not to get along in other not to contract the disease hope the disease cure is find soon
Stigmatizing people with elephantiasis is outrageous regardless of who ever it us and no matter the condition that may arises.
When a portion of a person’s body swells unnaturally greater than the rest of their body, this condition is known as elephantiasis.
The swelling started in their feet and eventually spread to their legs. People tend to stare at your legs in a strange way when you have swollen legs, which may be really embarrassing.
We have a collective responsibility to move away from the practice of stigmatizing persons who have elephantiasis. Instead, they should be supported and encouraged in their efforts.
The psychological toll it takes on the body is real, and it might be quite severe. At any rate, it is treatable, albeit a cure has not yet been found. In order to minimize edema, prompt treatment is recommended.
They experience a psychological impact as a result of the stigma and discrimination that they have to fight against.
They were very young when they became infected with the disease, and they remember having to muster up the bravery on a daily basis to go to school or explore new environments when they were in tertiary institutions.
It will also enhance food production in the country, lower the incidence of sickness and disability, promote good mental health and well-being among citizens, and improve food production in the country.
The management of NTDs, human resource considerations, and programming components must all be included in any subnational road map developed by the Federal Ministry of Health.
The stigma from contracting elephantiasis. People don’t really know about the elephantqliasis, more awareness should be created.
Disease is more prevalent in areas that lack access to adequate medical care. As a direct consequence of this, these individuals are left open to the threat posed by these incapacitating diseases.
When filarial parasites are transferred to people by mosquitoes, a disfiguring illness develops. So mosquitoes really are a threat? Sadly, no treatment exists.
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Due to the disease’s noticeable effects on the physical body, which will be visible to others, discrimination against those with the sickness is likely to occur. In the hopes that the disease’s solution will be discovered soon.