Two more individuals have tested positive for filariasis in Kulhudhuffushi City.
Speaking to PSM News, interim in-charge of Kulhudhuffushi Regional Hospital (KRH) Mohamed Moosa said that the number of individuals who have tested positive for filariasis in the city have increased to 19. He said that the individuals are expatriates who are in contact with the other 17 foreign workers who tested positive for the disease. He added that KRH has so far screened over 100 individuals for filariasis and that infected individuals are placed in direct observation for treatment.
Health Protection Agency (HPA) has also been taking random samples from expatriates in Kulhudhuffushi City. Public Health Coordinator Mohamed Hamzath said that they are seeing imported cases of filariasis, as all the infected individuals are from the same region of their country.
Additionally, Hamzath noted that the Culex mosquitoes, which transmit the disease, exist in the Maldives but that the filaria worms are needed to infect people. She said that the screening campaign aims to eliminate the chance of the disease spreading to the local community. She added that giving medicine to individuals with filariasis will prevent the spread of the disease as well.
Moreover, Public Health Controller Fathimath Ana Nadeem highlighted the importance of mosquito breeding grounds to prevent the spread of disease. She said that areas with contaminated water should be found and eliminated as they are a breeding ground for Culex mosquitoes.
Filariasis is a parasitic infectious disease caused by filarial worms that are transmitted to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes. These parasites mainly affect the lymphatic system and can cause a range of symptoms, including severe swelling of limbs, fever, and pain.
In 1951, a survey conducted with the technical assistance of the WHO, found filariasis in 34 islands in the Maldives. The national effort to control filariasis in the Maldives was launched in 1968 and the disease was eradicated in 2007. The WHO certified the Maldives to have eliminated the disease as a public health problem in 2016.