Bhubaneswar: The state Health and Family Welfare (H&FW) department Tuesday said that it has planned to commence its first phase of mass drug administration drive against lymphatic filariasis from Wednesday in eight high-burden districts.
Eight districts would be targeted for the drug administration in the first phase planned from February 10 to 19. These districts are: Bhadrak, Balasore, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Jharsuguda, Khurda, Nuapada and Nayagarh.
The second phase of the drive will include nine other districts – Angul, Ganjam, Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Kandhamal, Sonepur, Bargarh and Sambalpur – as a total of 17 districts will be covered in the entire drive.
“This time, owing to the closedown of schools and Anganwadi centres, we have decided to give the filaria drug as well as deworming tablets together. Our health workers will visit door to door and ask citizens to consume the drugs in their presence,” Niranjan Mishra, Director, Public Health department said.
Mishra said that filaria, which spreads through mosquito bites, is one of the leading causes of triggering disability in human beings. “The disease leads to Hydrocele (inflammation of the scrotum), lymphoedema (swelling in the limbs) and Chyluria (milky white urine) in later stages,” he said.
Bijoy Kumar Panigrahi, Director, Family Welfare said, “The administration of deworming drug-Albendazole is also important. This drug helps kids in better nutrition absorption better physical and mental growth. This time due to the closure of Angwandi centres and schools due to COVID, we are giving it through our health workers.”
Bijay Mohapatra, Director, Health Services, informed the media that the drug will be given amid adherence to Covid-19 safety protocols by the grassroots workers. “The drugs are safe but it will not be given to kids below two years of age, pregnant ladies and persons with serious illness,” he said.
The state government has planned to eliminate the disease by 2030. The experts claimed that after getting infected, the infected persons show symptoms after a very long time, around 15 years post-infection.
The health official said that filaria drugs need to be taken annually and after five years of consumption of the drug, the pathogen, present in their initial stages, will be eliminated.