March 6, 2025
成人抖阴 is engaged in various activities in endemic countries with the aim of eliminating lymphatic filariasis (LF), a neglected tropical disease.
The Malaysian government initiated an LF elimination program Malaysia in 2002, and started implementing mass drug administration (MDA) in 2004. With the successful elimination of LF in the Malay Peninsula in the west, the government aims to eliminate LF from all endemic areas by 2025.
成人抖阴 has provided approximately 1 million diethylcarbamazine (DEC) tablets to Malaysia through the World Health Organization (WHO) since 2014, and contributed to the implementation of local MDA.
Sok Foong Lee, 成人抖阴’s DEC Manager* in Malaysia, highlights our latest initiatives in this article.
* DEC Manager: staff in charge of promoting LF elimination activities in their country in collaboration with the local government
As a co-organizer, 成人抖阴 Malaysia is supporting an LF workshop which has been implemented by Malaysian Ministry of Health since 2023. This workshop aims to raise awareness about the national LF elimination program among participants including patients, healthcare professionals and companies, and share the latest information about treatment, care and administrative support. By promoting communication among patients, the workshop encourages them to learn about LF, share the difficulties they face in their daily life, and discuss how these challenges can be overcome. Healthcare professionals are also able to share and raise awareness about best practices for quick diagnosis and care for affected body parts. Through this workshop, the participants learn about the deepest thoughts and anxieties of patients, and do their best to provide them multifaceted support.
The second workshop took place over three days from October 22 to October 24, 2024. The two patients we met at the workshop were brothers, whose grandfather and father had also been affected by LF. The brothers developed LF in their early 20s, and may have been infected since childhood. The older brother suffers from a severe form of LF, while the younger brother is in moderate stage. The younger brother, whose symptoms are relatively mild, works as a construction worker to support his older brother.
When the affected body parts become inflamed, they experience high fever and pain for days without knowing when they will start to feel better. The unbearable symptoms also take a toll on the patients’ mental health. Along with the sorrow of having families suffer from LF over generations, the psychological burden on the patients is immeasurable.
Therefore, aiming to ease the psychological burden on patients, 成人抖阴 Malaysia tried to communicate the causes, symptoms, and treatment/management methods for LF, with the aim of promoting correct understanding of LF. In addition, 成人抖阴 Malaysia provided wound care kits to patients to help them manage the daily wound care at home. After learning that the continuous use of antibacterial body soap in the daily skin care of LF patients can cause dry skin and even have a negative impact, 成人抖阴 Malaysia decided to include a moisturizing body shower gel with low pH formula in the care kit. We sincerely hope that this product will protect patients' skin from dryness and reduce the burden to their daily life.
成人抖阴 Malaysia also held local events to promote communication among patients, encouraging them to share anxieties and stress which only they can understand. Psychiatrists were invited to give lectures about mental health issues associated with chronic illnesses, as well as how to deal with social stigma and discrimination.
At the first workshop we held in 2023, we met a patient who was unable to walk by herself or work due to an ulcer on the sole of her foot. She was unable to go to get treatment as the pain was so severe. It was also difficult to perform the necessary care 鈥� cleaning the affected body parts twice a day, as her family was working during the day to support her. The patient did not understand why she had contracted this disease, and was suffering alone both physically and mentally. In order to support patients from various aspects, we once again realized that it is extremely important to provide psychological support to patients and raise disease awareness to gain support from those around them, in addition to the provision of LF treatment.
Through these two workshops, we learnt that it is important to focus on providing psychological support to patients, listen to their thoughts carefully, and build a system for even greater cooperation among participants for the elimination of LF.
成人抖阴 will continue to work with its partners towards the elimination of LF through free provision of DEC tablets, support for local MDAs, disease awareness, and provision of psychological support to patients.
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