Madhya Pradesh plans campaign against filaria disease

BHOPAL - Madhya Pradesh plans to launch a mass anti-filaria drug administration programme to curb a disease spread by culex mosquito bite which causes permanent swelling of a patient’s hands and feet.

“Even healthy persons may carry germs of filaria. Therefore, a mass drug administration programme will be held across the state to prevent the spread of this disease,” Madhya Pradesh Health & Family Welfare Minister Anup Mishra told IANS Thursday.

The minister said since the year 2015 has been set as deadline for eradicating filaria from the entire country, special medicare will be provided to over 1.5 crore people suffering from the disease in the 11 worst-affected districts.

These districts include Chhattarpur, Tikamgarh, Panna, Damoh, Satna, Rewa, Katni, Datia, Sagar and Umaria.

Diethylcarbamazine and elevendozal tablets will be administered to 1.50 crore affected people in these districts as part of the programme, the minister said.

At a meeting of the state-level task force held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Avani Vaish recently instructions were given to chalk out strategies for providing the medicines and training staff, an official said.

Coordination committees have been constituted in the 11 affected districts and schemes have been chalked out to distribute medicines at community health centres, primary health centres, sub-primary health centres and at the village level, the official said.

A meeting of district malaria officials of the 11 affected districts was held April 11 on the occasion of filaria day and they were instructed to seek cooperation from social workers and teachers for impressing upon affected people to take these medicines.