Deaths / year
0
GBD (indicative unless refreshed)
DALYs / year
1,600,000
GBD
Pathogen
Helminth
Post-infectious
Chronic disease
Persistent symptoms
n/a
infected
Post-infectious syndrome & persistent symptoms
Whether a post-acute infection syndrome is documented and the literature proportion with persistent symptoms.
Documented post-infectious syndrome
Chronic lymphoedema / hydrocele
not quantified
persistent symptoms — of infected
Summary
A substantial subset of infected progress to overt chronic disease (lymphoedema/elephantiasis, hydrocele); ~36 million with chronic manifestations globally. Proportion varies widely by setting.
Timeframe
chronic morbidity
Evidence strength
moderate
Classification
Chronic disease
Sources: WHO LF fact sheet
Therapeutic agents by stage
Vector control, prevention, acute treatment, and post-infectious care. Only agents with published evidence are shown by default.
Vector & transmission control
| Agent | Type | Status | Mechanism / role | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mosquito vector control | Vector control | Approved | Reduce Culex / Anopheles / Aedes transmission | WHO LF |
Prevention
| Agent | Type | Status | Mechanism / role | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ivermectin + albendazole | Anthelmintic combination | Approved | Mass drug administration (W. bancrofti, Brugia) | WHO EML / standard of care |
| Diethylcarbamazine (DEC) | Anthelmintic | Approved | Alternative MDA (Loa loa–free areas) | WHO EML / standard of care |
Acute phase
| Agent | Type | Status | Mechanism / role | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doxycycline (anti-Wolbachia) | Antibiotic | Approved | Targets endosymbiont in filarial worms | WHO EML / standard of care |
Post-infectious phase
| Agent | Type | Status | Mechanism / role | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lymphoedema management (hygiene, compression) | Rehabilitation | Approved | Chronic elephantiasis / hydrocele care | WHO LF morbidity management |
Associated drug targets (Open Targets): MMP8, MMP1, MMP7, MMP13, ITGB2, CARD14
Burden: IHME GBD (indicative seed unless refreshed) · Therapeutics: curated WHO EML / SOC + Open Targets pipeline · Post-infectious data: curated peer-reviewed literature · Ontology: MONDO_0016075 · Updated 2026-07-10. Associations, not a diagnostic test.