Lymphatic filariasis in the South-East Asia

Lymphatic filariasis or also known as elephantiasis, is one of the neglected diseases with potential of elimination. Major advances were made in the last two decades in lymphatic filarisis (diagnosing and testing, epidemiology, management of chronic cases) and made elimination a possibility. In 1993, filariasis was listed as one of the six diseases that are eradicable or potentially eradicable. The World Health Assembly in 1997 passed a resolution to eliminate lymphatic filariasis. In 2000, the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) was established by WHO with the goal to eliminate the disease as a public-health problem by 2020.