Bhopal: Union minister launches Filariasis eradication program in Tikamgarh and Niwari districts

BHOPAL (Madhya Pradesh): Union minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Dr Virendra Kumar launched Filariasis eradication programme on Monday in Tikamgarh and Niwari districts under the National Carrier-Borne Disease Control Program. He also launched Mass Drug Administration (M.D.A.) program.

He said that the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, in coordination with the Ministry of Health, will give more impetus to the eradication of Filariasis, as well as develop a plan for serious Filariasis patients to lead a dignified life. Collector Subhash Kumar Dwivedi said, Mass Drug Administration program will be very successful. In this program, care should be taken that anti-filaria drug is consumed only in front of health workers and these medicines have to be taken together.

Chief Health and Medical Officer Tikamgarh and Niwari Dr PK Mahour said, The importance of adopting all safety precautions (hygiene, mask and physical distancing) to prevent the spread of Covid-19 will be kept in mind during the program, and it will also be ensured that all eligible beneficiaries in this campaign are anti-filariae.

CMHO said, in this program all people except children below the age of 2 years, pregnant women and seriously ill persons should be given DEC according to age to get rid of filariasis and prescribed doses of albendazole will be administered door-to-door, free of charge, by trained health workers. These medicines should not be consumed on an empty stomach.

District Malaria Officer Hari Mohan Rawat said, during the challenge of Corona, bowl method will be used for feeding medicines while taking precautions. This program will be run for 10 working days starting from February 21, under which 7 working days house-to-house visits and in the remaining 3 working days, the beneficiaries will be fed anti-filaria in front of health workers according to the ideal norms of Corona.

State level Vector Borne Diseases Control Program officials Dr Satyendra Pandey and C S Sharma said, work is being done under the strategy by coordinating from the state level to the district level. We all are making meaningful efforts to make the MDA program even better by visiting the area during the programme.