Disability Alleviation

Though people infected with LF may never exhibit the overt manifestations of the disease, extensive damage to the lymphatic system can cause swelling of the limbs (lymphedema) or scrotal area (hydrocele). Lymphedema caused by LF, if left untreated for too long, can progress through microbial infections into a permanent severe deformity known as elephantiasis, characterized by a thickening of the skin and fibrous tissue.

 

Neither lymphedema nor elephantiasis is completely incurable. However, proper hygiene techniques, ointments, and elevation can alleviate symptoms. Since 2000, we have provided clinical care to over 3200 patients with overt disease. Both Hopital Sainte Croix, our partner in Leogane, and the Sacre Couer Medical Centre in Milot have become regional referral training centers, each with satellites, for addressing the LF pathology. These two organizations have equipped thousands from all provinces of Haiti and two foreign countries with the knowledge and basic medical care to arrest, and in some cases, reverse disease progression. As a result, the average frequency of acute filarial attacks—requiring emergency treatment—has decreased from more than two per year fewer than one every two years.

 

In addition to clinical care, we’ve initiated dynamic patient-directed support groups, called “Hope Clubs,” which provide at least some relief for the terrible emotional pain wrought by the disease.

 

We also have established a referral center for filarial genital damage and provided novel surgical services to 409 patients from all areas of Haiti. Because of the use of a Brazilian surgical technique conceived specifically for filarial hydrocele repair, only one patient experienced recurrence following surgery.

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