Odisha Ramps Up Anti-Filariasis Drive with Mass Drug Administration Awareness in EMRS Schools

Bhubaneswar: In a renewed push to eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) from Odisha, the Department of Health & Family Welfare, in collaboration with the ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Department, has launched a targeted awareness campaign across 47 Ekalavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS). The initiative comes ahead of a Mass Drug Administration (MDA) campaign that will be conducted in selected blocks across 12 districts of the state.

The awareness drive reached over 5,600 students, teachers, and principals, sensitizing them about the causes, transmission, prevention, and treatment of Lymphatic Filariasis. Students were encouraged to take anti-filarial medicines during the upcoming MDA campaign at designated booths within school premises and to serve as awareness ambassadors in their communities.

Senior health and education officials addressed the sessions, including Pranati Patro, Joint Director and Nodal Officer of EMRS, Dr. Prabhakar Sahoo, Additional Director and Nodal Officer for Vector-Borne Diseases, and Dr. Subhasisha Mohanty, Joint Director (VBD). Experts from partner organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and PCI also participated.

Speaking at the sessions, Dr. Prabhakar Sahoo emphasized the importance of community-wide drug compliance, stating, “The success of the MDA campaign hinges on everyone’s participation. Every individual who takes the medicine brings us one step closer to a filariasis-free Odisha.”

Dr. Biswa Prakash Dutta from WHO and Debakant Sandhibigraha, IEC Consultant at the Health Directorate, explained the scientific rationale behind MDA and dispelled common myths about the disease and medication.

As Odisha intensifies its battle against filariasis, the collaboration between the health and education sectors is proving vital. The involvement of tribal and residential schools ensures that even remote and vulnerable populations are brought into the fold of preventive healthcare.