Mass drug administration drive to eradicate filaria disease from Odisha

Bhubaneswar: To eradicate Filaria (Lymphatic Filariasis) disease from the state, a mass drug administration programme will be carried out from February 10.

Initiated by the Health and Family Welfare department, 15 districts will be covered in the state under the programme in two phases.

Informing about the initiative, Public Health Director Niranjan Mishra said, “There are 15 districts in the state where filaria is prevalent. The programme will cater to these districts.”

In the first phase eight districts will be covered which includes Angul, Balasore, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Jharsuguda, Nayagarh and Nuapada. While in the second phase which will begin from March 10, the remaining seven districts will be covered.

Two types of tablets, DEC and Albendazole will be administered to the entire population starting from children aged two years, informed Mishra.

Around 55,000 health workers will be engaged to reach out to a total of 1, 40,000 people in the first phase. The health workers will also visit educational institutions and offices to administer the tablets. 

However, those who are physically weak, pregnant women and children below two years have been excluded from the drive.