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Article: The end of the elephant man; Lymphatic filariasis.(Cheap drugs and African diseases)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- July 26, 2003
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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More than just a nasty swelling
Inexpensive drugs and goodwill are tackling one of Africa's problems
LYMPHATIC filariasis (LF) is a disease that causes the limb deformity known as elephantiasis. But it is easily preventable. A mosquito net stops the insects that transmit it from biting. An annual dose of two cheap drugs clears any parasites that might have got through that defence.
Since 2000 Mafia, an island near Zanzibar, has been a testing-ground for a joint effort by Tanzania's government, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and a pair of drug companies to eradicate LF. A study carried out in 2000 showed that more than half of Mafia's ...