Filaria eradication programme will be launched in 12 filaria affected districts of the State on Monday by Health Minister Banna Gupta. This programme will run from August 23 to August 27 in the filaria affected areas.
National Health Mission Jharkhand State’s Mission Director Umashankar Singh on Sunday said the health department is constantly trying and is determined to eradicate filariasis from the State. The campaign will be run under the National Filaria Eradication Programme of the Health Department, Jharkhand.
Mass Drug Administration campaign with two drugs — DEC and Albendazole — in 11 districts namely Giridih, Chatra, Dumka, East Singhbhum, Garhwa, Godda, Hazaribagh, Khunti, Lohardaga, Ranchi, West Singhbhum and three drugs that — DEC, Albendazole and Ivermectin — in Simdega will be done in compliance with the restrictions and protocols of Covid-19. The Mission Director said that the success of this programme is possible only when there is public participation in it and appealed to all the beneficiaries to take anti-filaria medicine.
Jharkhand State Programme Officer Dr SN Jha informed that in this campaign, anti-filaria medicines would be given free of cost to the beneficiaries by the health workers visiting booths and door-to-door. He said that under this programme, anti-filaria drugs will not be administered to children below 1 year of age, pregnant women and critically ill persons and children 1-2 years old will be fed only Albendazole.
“These medicines should not be taken on an empty stomach. This medicine is also to be consumed by people suffering from diseases like blood pressure, diabetes, joint pain. These medicines are completely safe. Healthy people do not have any side effects by taking these medicines and if someone has symptoms like vomiting, dizziness, itching or fever after taking the medicine, then it is a sign that that person has filaria in his body. Parasites are present, which causes this complaint after the death of the parasite,” said Jha.
The State NTD Coordinator of the World Health Organization, Dr Abhishek Paul informed that filaria or elephantiasis is a complex problem of public health. “This disease is spread by mosquito bite. Filaria is one of the leading causes of disability. This infection damages the lymphatic system and, if left untreated, leads to abnormal swelling of the body’s organs. People with swelling of the testicles, swelling of the organs and milky urine due to filaria often face social discrimination, which also affects their livelihood and ability to work.
Dr Paul said that if anti-filaria drugs are taken by the targeted beneficiaries continuously for 5 years, then the filaria disease will be eradicated.
