Meeting of the National Programme Managers and Regional Technical Advisory Group for Lymphatic Filariasis Elimination Kathmandu, Nepal, 25–27 June 2024
Overview
Lymphatic filariasis (LF), commonly known as elephantiasis, is one of the 16 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) endemic in the South-East (SE) Asia Region. It is transmitted to humans through mosquitoes, and causing hidden damage to the lymphatic system. The painful and disfiguring manifestations of the disease, such as lymphoedema and scrotal swelling (hydrocele), usually appear later in life, leading to permanent disability. Apart from physical disability, affected individuals face mental, social and financial hardships, contributing to stigma and poverty. Over 882 million people in 44 countries worldwide remain at risk of LF and require preventive chemotherapy to halt its transmission.
The elimination of NTDs, including LF, is a target of the subgoal 3.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To support this goal, the Global NTD Roadmap 2021–2030 was launched, alongside the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF), which was initiated during the Fifty-third World Health Assembly in 2000, following resolution WHA50.29. The GPELF employed a twopronged strategy of mass drug administration (MDA) and morbidity management and disability prevention (MMDP) to interrupt LF transmission and alleviate suffering. Regionally, elimination of NTDs/LF had been a Flagship Programme since 2014.
The Regional Technical Advisory Group (RTAG) for LF elimination, constituted in early 2024 in place of the Regional Programme Review Group (RPRG) for LF elimination, held its first meeting to serve as a primary catalyst for the LF Elimination Programme in South-East Asia. This meeting was essential to evaluate progress, provide strategic guidance to WHO and Member States, outline research agendas, and facilitate exchange of insights into progress, challenges and queries. These discussions aimed to chart feasible pathways forward for LF elimination efforts, maintain the momentum, and ensure a positive contribution to the SDGs and the Regional Flagship Programme.
The meeting of the programme managers and RTAG aimed to accelerate and maintain the elimination of LF as a public health problem in the South-East Asia Region, thereby making a significant contribution towards achieving the 2030 SDGs target. The specific objectives of the meeting were to:
- assess the progress of the implementation of the recommendations from the previous RPRG meeting in 2022 and the programmatic progress on elimination of LF in endemic countries in the South-East Asia Region;
- keep the momentum of the current achievements in the LF Elimination Programme and facilitate knowledge-sharing among national programme managers and implementing partners in the South-East Asia Region to highlight innovative measures, solutions and existing research gaps across countries;
- identify operational and technical gaps, and determine strategic directions, optimal strategies and priority actions to overcome the remaining challenges and accelerate elimination of LF in the South-East Asia Region; and
- introduce the second edition of the WHO monitoring and evaluation (M&E) guideline for the LF Elimination Programme and deliberate on the strategy for incorporating this new guideline into regional and national protocols.
