Indeed, India alone accounts for one-quarter of intestinal worm infections worldwide and more than one-half of all cases of elephantiasis, leprosy, and visceral leishmaniasis.

This group of parasitic and related infections – including lymphatic filariasis (or elephantiasis), intestinal worms, and schistosomiasis – is a scourge of poverty.

These drug donations for river blindness, trachoma (another blinding disease), leprosy, elephantiasis, worms, and bilharzia, as well as for sleeping sickness, give hope to millions.

The increase in treatment has been spectacular – more than 500 million people in 51 countries treated for elephantiasis in 2007, and 60 million in 19 countries have been treated for river blindness.

Meanwhile, innovations in health care have already brought the world close to wiping out polio, and we expect to see dramatic results from a new triple drug therapy that could eradicate elephantiasis, which affects 120 million people.

We are also one step closer to eliminating lymphatic filariasis, also known as elephantiasis.

Caused by the filarial worm, elephantiasis is a parasitic infection that can cause horrific swelling of the legs and scrotum.

Elephantiasis in sentence

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