Lymphatic Filariasis

Lymphatic filariasis is a parasitic infection caused by thread-like worms transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes, which lodge in the lymphatic system. Long-term infection can damage the lymphatic system and cause dramatic swelling of the limbs or genitals, a condition known as elephantiasis, which can be severely disabling and stigmatizing. Most infected people carry the parasite without visible symptoms for years before disease develops.