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Step 1
Limit outdoor activities at night, especially in rural areas because the mosquitoes that transmit filariasis feed at night. Sleep indoors with air conditioning or good screening. Use mosquito netting if sleeping in an open area or a room with poor screening. The best way to prevent filariasis is to avoid being repeatedly bitten by these mosquitoes because no vaccine is available for filariasis.
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Step 2
Implement measures to control or even eradicate the mosquito population.
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Step 3
Wear long sleeves and pants with light coloring, but do not wear perfumes or colognes to avoid attracting mosquitoes.
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Step 4
Treat clothing with an insecticide containing permethrin such as Duramon or Permanone. Spray repellent with N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET) on the skin. Citronella or lemon eucalyptus also may repel insects.
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Step 5
Prevent lymphatic filariasis by administering albendazole and diethylcarbamazine (DEC) to people in infected communities. This treatment will kill the microfilariae and is provided once a year for at least five years. An alternative treatment is to fortify cooking salt with DEC for at least two years. Take ivermectin as a prophylaxis.
