elephantiasis

Patients’ beliefs about illness matter: the case of elephantiasis in rural Ghana

Patients’ beliefs about illness matter: the case of elephantiasis in rural Ghana: Would you take medication for an illness you didn’t believe you had? Or if you disagreed with healthcare workers about the cause of your condition? This is the dilemma of many people who live in areas of Ghana where a mosquito-borne disease called …

Why it’s hard to end elephantiasis, a debilitating disease spread by mosquitoes

Why it’s hard to end elephantiasis, a debilitating disease spread by mosquitoes: The swelling affects people’s lives in a multitude of ways. Maggie Steber for The Washington Post via Getty Images Lymphatic filariasis is one of the world’s leading causes of permanent and long-term disability. Sometimes referred to as Elephantiasis tropica, it is a neglected …