News Excerpt:

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare inaugurated the first phase of the Bi-annual Nationwide Mass Drug Administration (MDA) campaign aimed at eliminating Lymphatic Filariasis.

About Mass Drug Administration (MDA) campaign:

• The initiative seeks to halt disease transmission by administering free preventive medications to residents in afflicted areas.
• It encompasses 92 districts across 11 states.
• The campaign is scheduled to operate for the subsequent two weeks.
• India has adopted the bi-annual campaign model.
• It is the WHO-recommended preventive chemotherapy strategy for lymphatic filariasis elimination.
• MDA involves administering an annual dose of medicines to the entire at-risk population.
• The medicines used have a limited effect on adult parasites but effectively reduce the density of microfilariae in the bloodstream and prevent the spread of parasites to mosquitoes.
• WHO recommends the following MDA regimens:
• albendazole alone twice per year for areas co-endemic with loiasis;
• ivermectin with albendazole in countries with onchocerciasis;
• diethylcarbamazine citrate (DEC) and albendazole in countries without onchocerciasis; and
• ivermectin together with diethylcarbamazine citrate (DEC) and albendazole in countries without onchocerciasis and where other programmatic conditions are met.
• Last year's campaign coverage rate was 82.5% and achieved over 95% coverage of the eligible population.

Way forward:

• There is a need for social mobilization and active community involvement to ensure comprehensive awareness.
• A collaboration with relevant departments, including Panchayati Raj, education, rural development, tribal affairs, urban bodies, and medical colleges is required to transform the campaign into a grassroots movement.