PMC conducts night blood survey for filariasis

According to the civic officials, the campaign will focus on construction sites and other locations where workers stay overnight

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has launched a two-month night blood survey to detect lymphatic filariasis, or elephantiasis, among construction workers and migrant labourers.

The survey started on Thursday with blood samples collected between 9 pm and midnight. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The survey started on Thursday with blood samples collected between 9 pm and midnight. The civic body has planned the drive despite reporting only seven old cases in Pune, which is not considered an endemic area for filariasis.

According to the civic officials, the campaign will focus on construction sites and other locations where workers stay overnight. The exercise is intended to identify any infected people early and prevent local transmission, given the large influx of migrant workers from states where the disease is more common.

A total of 12 teams — six from PMC and six from state health department — will be part of the survey team. Each municipal health inspector has been directed to remain present and deploy five staff members from the respective ward office to collect samples alongside the state team.

Dr Rajesh Dighe, assistant health chief, PMC, said, “Identifying infected people and ensuring timely treatment are important to prevent transmission in the city.”

Lymphatic filariasis is a mosquito-borne parasitic disease caused by Wuchereria bancrofti and transmitted through the bite of infected female Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes. The infection often remains silent for years, with symptoms taking months or even years to develop.

Health experts said once the parasite enters the human body, it can take five to 18 months to mature. Adult female worms can survive in the body for 10 to 15 years, continuing disease transmission if untreated. The disease can lead to severe and irreversible disability, including swelling of limbs, elephantiasis and genital complications, apart from causing social stigma, psychological distress and economic burden.