Launched by the Union Health Ministry…
New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry has launched a mass drug administration (MDA) campaign nationwide aimed at ending filariasis disease transmission through door-to-door administration of anti-filarial drugs. It will especially work for 10 affected states.
According to a statement issued by the ministry on Friday, High-burden districts in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh jointly launched this campaign.
The launch came a month after the programme received resounding support from Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to eliminate filariasis by 2027, three years ahead of the global target.
India has ramped up efforts to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (LF), a vector-borne disease caused by culex mosquitoes that leads to disabilities, well ahead of the global targets to safeguard communities from disabilities, as well as from social and economic insecurity.
The government of India has already unveiled a renewed five-pronged strategy for the elimination of LF, the statement said.
Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said, "Collective action is required to tackle LF". He asked all the states to focus on directly-observed therapy rather than distribution of drugs.
He emphasised focusing on intensive monitoring at the block level.
The health secretary has pinpointed the need for a daily analysis of the coverage and monitoring reports at all the possible levels. He suggested that good practices of states can be taken up by other states too, the statement said.
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