Maldives detects cases of eradicated filariasis

Cases of filariasis, which are known to have been eradicated in the Maldives has now been found in H.Dh. Kulhudhuffushi.

The cases were found during a health campaign targeting foreigners from 1 to 2 this month to mark World AIDS Day.

16 foreigners who visited the health camp and were screened for various diseases tested positive for filariasis.

These are recent arrivals from countries and regions where filariasis is still endemic. They are all foreigners working in the island.

According to the hospital:

"Confirmatory tests will be conducted on 16 foreigners who tested positive tonight. We will share more information once the results are available," Kulhudhuffushi Hospital Media Coordinator Mohammed Moosa said.

Filariasis is eradicated from Maldives. The treatment for filariasis is two medicines that are administered once.

Filariasis is commonly spread by the Culex mosquito, which lives in dirty water. This is a different mosquito from the Aedes mosquito that spreads chikungunya and dengue.

Filariasis is a parasitic infection caused by microscopic worms. The disease is spread by the bite of blood-feeding insects, such as mosquitoes. When a mosquito bites a person with filariasis, the worms in the person's blood infect the mosquito. The mosquito then transmits the disease to other people. 

According to Dr Abdul Aziz Hameed, medical doctor, it takes about 12-8 months for the bacteria to multiply in the body and cause symptoms.

The first symptoms include:

To prevent this disease, it is important to look for mosquito breeding grounds and destroy them.

The last case of filariasis was reported in 2004 in L. Fonadhoo. The survey conducted since 2008 has not found any new cases of filariasis, the Health Ministry said.

A WHO team visited Maldives in 2011 to ensure that filariasis was eradicated. The disease was declared eradicated in Maldives in 2016.