Whereas the disease was once thought to affect only adults, it now appears that most infections are acquired in childhood. Initial infection is followed by a long period of subclinical disease, which progresses in later life to clinically manifest disease. Lymphatic filariasis can cause of variety of clinical manifestations, that can be grouped in three categories: acute attacks, lymphoedema/elephantiasis and hydrocoele.

Lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis, is a painful and profoundly disfiguring disease. It is caused by infection with parasites classified as nematodes (roundworms) of the family Filariodidea that are transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitos. Mosquito-transmitted larvae are deposited on the skin from where they can enter the body. The larvae then migrate to the lymphatic vessels where they develop into adult worms, thus continuing a cycle of transmission.