Kenya to Lead Africa in Piloting New Elephantiasis Treatment

Kenya is set to lead Africa to pilot a new treatment for elephantiasis according to the Health ministry.

The new elephantiasis treatment is a triple-drug therapy, common as IDA. It is a combination of three drugs for elephantiasis with the ability to relatively reduce treatment time.

“This is going to have a lot of benefit to our people because we will shorten the period of elimination from five years to two years, and then there are additional benefits in terms of clearing things like scabies, which comes with the triple-drug therapy approach,” the head of the department of neglected tropical diseases, Dr. Sultani Matendechero.

Elephantiasis, also known as Lymphatic filariasis is one of the eighteen diseases grouped by the World Health Organization as neglected tropical diseases.

Elephantiasis takes place when filarial worms find their way into the lymph nodes. The worms stretch the nodes till lymph fluid can only flow downwards causing swelling of limbs and the scrotum amongst men.

An estimated 3,700,000 people are said to be facing the risk of the elephantiasis infection. A majority of those facing the risk are people living in Tana River, Kwale, Kilifi, Mombasa, and Lamu.

The new treatment program entails diethylcarbamazine and albendazole. It adds ivermectin, which is a blend that studies have revealed improves the treatment duration.

Kenya will be joining 14 other countries if it is able to eradicate the elephantiasis disease.