Thirteen-year-old Sunita was helping her mother in the kitchen when she suddenly slipped and injured her left leg. There were no visible signs of injury, although the pain persisted for a year. Then one night everything changed. The pain intensified, his entire leg turned red and swollen, and small red spots appeared all over it.

Concerned, her parents immediately took her to the doctor, where she was diagnosed with lymphatic filariasis, a painful and disfiguring disease commonly known as elephantiasis.

“I can’t stand or sit for long periods of time, it’s getting bigger every day,” he said, pressing gently on his leg to control the swelling.

Lymphatic filariasis – referred to as hathipaon (elephant foot) in Hindi – affects an estimated 120 million people in Asia, Africa, the Pacific islands, South America and the Caribbean, with almost a third showing visible symptoms. It is considered endemic in 20 states and union territories of India.

The disease is treatable in its early stages, but if left uncontrolled it can lead to serious complications that are difficult to treat. The World Health Organization classifies it as a neglected tropical disease caused by parasitic worms spread primarily through mosquito bites. India accounts for 40 percent of the global caseload; 31 million people are infected and more than 450 million are at risk.