Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Feb 11: The Union Health Ministry on Friday launched a mass drug administration (MDA) campaign on a national scale aimed at ending filariasis disease transmission through door-to-door administration of anti-filarial drugs, especially in 10 filarial-affected states.
Districts in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh together launched the campaign, according to a statement issued by the ministry on Friday. India has ramped up efforts to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (LF), a vector-borne disease caused by culex mosquitoes that leads to disabilities. The government of India has already unveiled a renewed five-pronged strategy for the elimination of LF, the statement said.
Launching the campaign, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said, “Collective action is required to tackle LF”. He urged all the states to focus on directly-observed therapy rather than the distribution of drugs. He emphasised focusing on thorough monitoring at the block level. He suggested that good practices of states can be taken up by other states too, the statement said.
Notably, Jharkhand will be conducting these rounds at 81 sites, covering close to 12,032 villages. Odisha aims to cover 1.36 crore beneficiaries through efforts at camps, schools and colleges as well as the preparation of village-level micro-plans like polio campaigns, the statement said.
West Bengal will be conducting these rounds in seven districts, covering a population of almost 60 lakh, and will also be deploying mobile health teams to avert any untoward incidents. Chhattisgarh will be undertaking the rounds in two endemic districts and has also deployed rapid response teams. Andhra Pradesh has engaged health volunteers who will go house to house in one district to ensure the consumption of these drugs, the statement said.
Maharashtra will be covering four districts and 16 blocks and has ramped up efforts to ensure the consumption of drugs in the presence of health workers by leveraging the “Jagruk Balak” programme. Madhya Pradesh will be conducting the rounds in eight districts with a targeted focus on IEC and mobilisation through intersectoral collaboration and will converge to the Vikas Yatra 2023 activities with the MDA campaign to optimise drug consumption at booths, the statement said. Mobile teams have been formed to reach out to the migratory population in the state.
Karnataka will be targeting the endemic district and two blocks and will ensure that the collector inspects the campaign and ensures maximum coverage. Bihar has ramped up efforts towards a successful MDA campaign by appealing to the community and beneficiaries to come forward and enthusiastically participate in the rounds. Celebrities who have a huge fan base on social media have been roped in for the campaign.
Roli Singh, Additional Secretary and Mission Director (NHM), Ministry of Health, said, “We have adopted a multi-pronged approach with the MDA rounds in two phases, where 1,113 blocks in 90 districts across 10 states will be launching a campaign against filariasis. It was informed that in spite of 10-15 MDA rounds in the past, the LF elimination could not be achieved due to a sub-optimal coverage.”
