Laos: Lymphatic filariasis elimination

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has successfully eradicated lymphatic filariasis, a debilitating and distressing neglected tropical disease, as a public health concern. Lymphatic filariasis, also known as elephantiasis, is a mosquito-borne parasitic disease leading to the swelling of body parts, frequently causing pain, significant disability, social stigma, and economic difficulties. To eradicate the disease that was endemic in Attapeu, a southern province of Laos, by 2002, local health authorities and partners administered preventive medication to at-risk populations from 2012 to 2017.