Khaleda washes her leg with the help of her daughter at their house at Taluk Bani Nagar, Kaligonj, Lalmonirhat, Bangladesh. Photo credit: RTI International/ Abir Abdullah
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has recognized a substantial public health achievement in Bangladesh. The World Health Organization has announced the country successfully eliminated lymphatic filariasis, a disabling and life-altering disease, as a public health problem. Forty million people in Bangladesh are now free from the risk of this devastating disease.
After years of treatment with safe, effective medicines, surveys show that lymphatic filariasis no longer presents a significant public health concern to people in Bangladesh. This substantial public health achievement was led by the Government of Bangladesh with the support of local and global partners and donors. USAID has supported Bangladesh to control and eliminate lymphatic filariasis since 2009.
Lymphatic filariasis, a neglected tropical disease (NTD), is a parasitic disease transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. When communities are not treated, the disease can damage a person’s lymphatic system and cause severe, disabling swelling of the legs and other body parts (elephantiasis). People living with this condition can suffer mental, social, and financial losses which contribute to stigma and poverty.
USAID is a global leader in elimination and control of five of the most common NTDs. Globally, USAID has supported the delivery of 3 billion donated treatments to 1.5 billion people at risk of NTDs across more than 30 countries.