Description
Lymphatic-filariasis, a mosquito-borne parasitic disease commonly known as elephantiasis, results in massive swelling of the limbs and genitals, leading to severe disability.
Over 40 million people are seriously incapacitated and disfigured by it, with millions more at risk. Now an ambitious campaign is underway to eliminate the disease globally by interrupting its transmission.
Two pharmaceutical giants, GlaxoSmithKline and Merck, are donating drugs designed to kill the parasite after it is deposited in a human host, thereby preventing it from being taken up again and spread further by subsequent mosquitoes.
This film looks at the efforts of two countries to combat the disease: Ghana, where elephantiasis is endemic, and Egypt, which has brought the disease under control through widespread drug intervention.
This film is part of the KILL OR CURE series of 57 x 25-minute documentaries produced for the BBC. These films can be bought individually or as a series.