Alyssa Milano, the Global Network, Tonic and IMA Unite Against LF

This week, Alyssa is sending a personal plea on behalf of the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases,Tonic.com, IMA World Health and other partners to help raise desperately needed funds to treat thousands of people in India.
Will you consider helping?

By Megan Cottrell/Tonic

More than 120 million people are infected with a debilitating and disfiguring disease you’ve probably never heard of. But for just a few dollars, you can relieve suffering for tens of thousands of people in India.

The Sahoos are just one example of the kind of people you’ll help. Today, Nemai and Shantilata Sahoo care for their family and run a business in the Orissa state of India. But just a few years back, it was difficult to even perform basic daily tasks.

A disease called lymphatic filariasis (LF) caused painful swelling in their legs and feet and made it extremely difficult to walk. The treatment and education they received from a special health care program literally put them, and tens of thousands of others like them, back on their feet.

But unless that program receives a major funding boost of $75,000, success stories like theirs will be history. That’s why actress and humanitarian Alyssa Milano, celebrity ambassador for the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases, has teamed up with Tonic, IMA World Health and other partners to raise the money and keep changing lives. All this week, we’re asking our community to band together and contribute to this, the worthiest and most cost-effective cause we can imagine. Please donate what you can, right here, right now.

“Because of this program, people feel empowered to go to work and do the things they didn’t feel they could do beforehand,” said Amanda Miller, who works as a program officer for the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases, which works with organizations like IMA World Health to support NTD treatment programs worldwide.

“It costs $75,000 to provide care for 23,000 people and identify new LF patients.  It  isn’t very expensive – only about $3.25 per person, per year,” says Anjana Padmanabhan, a spokesperson for the Global Network. 

The Global Network calls treating diseases like LF “the best buy in global health,” because a small amount of money can make a huge impact.

The World Health Organization estimates that one sixth of the world population — one billion people — is at risk for contracting the disease (45 percent of them live in India). Within that number, 40 million have already been severely disfigured by the disease’s effects, and they’re often shunned by their community for their appearance and myths about the cause of the disease. 

Sulochana Sahoo, left, helps to care for her mother, Shantilata. Proper washing and exercise can decrease swelling in some patients.

LF, also called elephantiasis, is caused by parasitic worms that can live on the body of a mosquito. When a mosquito bites, those worms enter the body and start reproducing. That can happen years before a person starts showing symptoms, and all the while, worms are rapidly reproducing and growing. Eventually, adult worms can embed themselves in the body’s lymphatic system, making it difficult for the body to drain fluid and leaving the body prone to infection.

LF is one of the seven common neglected tropical diseases that the Global Network targets in its awareness and resource mobilization campaigns.  While each disease affects a large number of people, they don’t get the same kind of attention as diseases like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis or malaria. And yet, it is inexpensive to treat these diseases and many could be entirely eliminated if the proper drugs and care were made available.

Just look at lymphatic filariasis. In Orissa, the program is implemented by the Indian NGO CASA (Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action) with support from IMA World Health and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). These partners work together to identify LF patients and provide emotional support and training in self-care. CASA provides education to the patients, their families, and the community about the disease, prevention, and care. 

Ann Varghese, IMA World Health Program Officer, meets with a LF patient during a recent trip to India.

“LF patients have often been stigmatized by the community because of the disease,” she says. “Many have sought traditional treatments with no positive results.”

On a recent trip to India, Varghese observed CASA volunteers teaching people with the disease how to wash and care for their swollen limbs, and exercise to reduce their pain and swelling.  Each LF patient is given a hygiene kit with soap, towels and antibiotic ointments, and is shown how to use them. “Once they saw how the washing and exercise made a difference over time, they would purchase the items on their own,” Varghese explains.

This simple medical care — education and basic hygiene kits — makes a huge difference in the lives of people living in Orissa. Local volunteers are trained to provide care and educate people in their villages, continuing the care and preventing further cases of LF.

“Before the home care, some told me they were not able to move around easily or work because of the condition,” said Varghese. “People in the communities and their families would not touch the affected limbs and saw them as a burden. Now that their condition has improved, they are able to work and be accepted by the community. After educating the family members, they will actually help the patient with the washing!”

Confronting diseases like LF is really helping people to help themselves — giving them the good health they need to be productive citizens. It’s estimated that India alone is losing $1 billion every year in productivity because of LF.

Please consider joining Alyssa Milano, the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases, Tonic and IMA World Health in our quest to keep this vital program alive — and to end the neglect of diseases like lymphatic filariasis.