IE : Drive against filaria, malnutrition this week : Nov 13,2007 | Public Health : News Articles

Drive against filaria, malnutrition this week

EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
Specially trained health volunteers to go door-to-door administering drugs MUMBAI, NOVEMBER 12

OVER the coming week, the state government will conduct a door-to-door mass drug administration campaign for eradication of filaria.

The disease, which can lead to Elephantiasis, is a parasitic and infectious tropical disease caused by three thread-like parasitic filarial worms.

In the fourth year of the five-year national programme, 17 districts will be covered from November 15 under campaign involving health workers, anganwadi workers and volunteers, who would reach out to 2, 85,000 people in the fight against lymphatic filariasis.

The drive will be held till November 17 in the rural areas while in urban areas it will be on till November 19.

For the drive to be successful, the health volunteers have to administer the 300 mg DEC tablets to at least 85 per cent of the population, say health officials.

Seventeen districts have been selected for the drive following the prevalence rate of more than one percent in the area.

"Health workers, anganwadi workers and sevikas have been trained for administering the dose," said Health Minister Vimaltai Mundada, adding, "We are aiming to eradicate filaria completely from the state by 2015."

In the previous rounds in March, the MDA campaign reached 90 per cent of the 2.74 target population. The programme is being imple'mented in coordination with Women and Children Welfare Department, Education Department, Forest Department and Rural Department. The state has received Rs 247.94 lakh for the implementation of MDA activity and 11.5 crore DEC tablets from the central government.

On Children's Day, the state government will also hold a deworming drive and set up booths to distribute vitamin pills to children across the state. The purpose would be curbing infant mortality rate by dealing with malnutrition.

Under this drive, children from 1 to six years age will be given the deworming pills on November 14 while and children aged between 18 months and five years will be given Vitamin A on November 21.

The previous such statewide drive held on May 1 saw a drop in coverage after two successful drives in tribal ~districts. While the previous rounds covered 89 percent children, the May round saw just 64 per cent.

"The drop in the number of children covered under the deworming drive is because of the addition of the urban areas to the list. It becomes difficult to cover children in urban areas. We need more publicity here," said Dr D S Dakhure, Additional Director of Health Services.