Outbreak of filariasis (Wuchereria malayi) among French and North African servicemen in North Vietnam.

In 1951 about 150 servicemen returning to Algeria from Tonking, North Vietnam, were found to show symptoms of filariasis. This article describes the investigation of the outbreak. Since on leaving the filarious area many of the patients recovered spontaneously and others were cured by treatment with arsenic or Hetrazan, the author concludes that severe, permanent and incurable lesions result only when constant reinfestation takes place.