[Kabar-indonesia] Elephantiasis on the rise in Java

[Joyo at aol.com]

The Jakarta Post 
Saturday, September 2, 2006

Elephantiasis found in new areas

Multa Fidrus and Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang, Bogor

The lymphatic disease elephantiasis is on the rise in Java, with Tangerang 
and Bogor both recording recent outbreaks.

Tangerang, 40 kilometers west of Jakarta, has declared six new districts to 
be prone to the disease, bringing the number of districts in the regency where 
endemic elephantiasis has been discovered in the last seven months to 12.

In Bogor, six villagers in the Sukadumi subdistrict have been diagnosed with 
the disease.

Elephantiasis, which is carried by mosquitoes, has been found in Cisauk, 
Curug, Pakuhaji, Pasar Kemis, Cikupa, Teluknaga, Pondok Aren, Sepatan, Balaraja, 
Tigaraksa, Rajeg and Mauk, the Tangerang Health Agency said.

The agency's communicable disease prevention head Yuliah Iskandar said 13 
people in the six new districts had the disease.

"We confirmed our findings by testing their blood because they had shown 
symptoms of the disease," she said.

Yuliah said the 13 infected individuals were considered to be chronic cases. 
Their legs have already become hugely swollen and they are likely to be 
permanently disfigured.

She added that the agency planned to hold a door-to-door check in the regency 
in an effort detect new cases early.

"This measure will also serve as a public education (program) on how to avoid 
contracting this disease, because they can avoid it by living in a healthy 
environment," she said.

The agency will also hold a treatment clinic for elephantiasis patients from 
August to September and has started to collect data on residents who have 
contracted the disease.

"Even though we can kill the parasite, returning their legs to their original 
size will be very difficult because cosmetic surgery can only mend 30 percent 
of a leg (damaged by) elephantiasis," Yuliah said.

In Bogor, six Setu Pete villagers, in Sukadamai subdistrict, Tanah Sereal, 
were also diagnosed with elephantiasis.

The two men and four women are aged between 40 and 70 years old.

Sukadami village chief Uay Sutiawan said the disease had first been 
identified in his village in July, when one of the six visited a public health clinic 
complaining of a high fever and swollen legs.

The clinic reported the case to the Bogor Health Agency, which sent a team to 
conduct blood tests on 500 people living near the patient's home.

As a result, the other five patients were diagnosed with elephantiasis.

The first patient, identified only as Unas, said her legs had felt unusually 
hot for some time and she noticed she had been getting sick more easily. Unas 
said she had kept working, however, despite her deteriorating health.

"We needed to eat and I have seven mouths to feed at home so I had been 
trying to ignore the pain," Unas said, adding she was eventually forced to stop 
working after her legs became so disfigured she had difficulty walking.

Both her legs are now bloated, with the swollen veins protruding underneath 
her skin. Unas' daughter took over her job but she too has recently started to 
become ill.

"She has already thrown up blood. I'm afraid that she's caught my disease," 
said Unas.

Elephantiasis, or lymphatic filariasis, is a disease caused by microscopic 
worms. The adult worms live in the human lymph system, which controls the body's 
fluid balance and fights infections.

The disease is carried by mosquitoes. Multiple bites from infected mosquitoes 
over several years are required to catch the disease. People living in 
tropical or sub-tropical areas are at the greatest risk of catching it. 
Elephantiasis is not life-threatening, but can permanently damage the kidneys or lymph 
system. 

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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