KANGAR (Perlis) - For the past seven years, Azman Abu Bakar (below, right) has not left his house in Kangar, the capital of Perlis state because he has elephantiasis in his left leg.

Mr Azman cannot afford to take the full dosage of medicine for his illness due to his parents' meagre income, The New Straits Times reported on Tuesday.

His family has to ration his medicine to make it last twice as long.

Each week, Azman needs RM70 (S$30) for his medication. He said the RM80 he receives from the state welfare department a month is not enough to cover his medical expenses.

According to the World Health Organisation, the disease, also known as lymphatic filarias, is caused by thread-like, parasitic filarial worms living in the body's lymphatic system, the network of nodes and vessels that maintain the fluid balance between the tissues and blood.

The most obvious signs of the disease are the enlargements of the entire leg or arm, the genitals and breasts.

His father Abu Bakar Ahmad, a food stall owner, brings him to the Tuanku Fauziah Hospital in Kangar every week for treatment.

'Doctors have referred him for treatment at the Putrajaya Hospital on June 17, but I cannot afford the trip.'