LF Support Center: Background and Mission

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is one of the world's most debilitating parasitic diseases. Transmitted by mosquitoes, LF is a principal cause of disability in over eighty endemic countries and territories. More than one billion people live at risk of infection, and 120 million individuals already suffer from it. Recent advances in treatment and prevention have created the conditions which place LF in reach of elimination.
In 1997, the 50th World Health Assembly unanimously approved a resolution to eliminate lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem. This goal is attainable. To reach it requires:

Stopping the spread of infection
Alleviating and preventing disability and suffering in those already infected

The LF Support Center is an essential member in the global alliance of partners actively targeting these two critical objectives.

Created in 1998, the LF Support Center is based in The Task Force for Child Survival and Development at Emory University. The mission of the LF Support Center is to provide the technical assistance and problem-solving research necessary to ensure a strong scientific base for the massive global public health effort currently underway to eliminate LF. The LF Support Center coordinates its technical assistance and research with targeted advocacy and fundraising activities.

As a principal partner in the Global Alliance to Eliminate LF, the LF Support Center provides vital resources and expertise on:

Economic Research
Technical Support for National Programs
Monitoring and Evaluation

Problem-Solving Research
Targeted Training Activities
Advocacy and Fundraising