Campaign to eliminate lymphatic filariasis launched across UP

Lucknow: A mass drug administration (MDA) campaign aimed at eliminating lymphatic filariasis was launched across 21 districts and 64 blocks in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday. The programme was virtually inaugurated by Union health minister JP Nadda in the presence of deputy CM Brajesh Pathak, state health minister Mayenkeshwar Sharan Singh, additional chief secretary (health) Amit Ghosh, National Health Mission mission director Pinky Jovel, and district magistrates from participating districts. Nadda said lymphatic filariasis remains a major public health challenge, warning that the disease causes long-term disability and imposes social and economic costs on affected families. He said elimination would be possible only if every eligible person consumes the medicines, calling for the campaign to become a "people's movement." The minister said the MDA is being implemented in 124 districts across 12 states, including Uttar Pradesh, and directed that drug intake booths be set up at both govt and private health facilities. Speaking from Vidhan Bhavan in Lucknow, Pathak said the state govt is committed towards making Uttar Pradesh filaria-free. The campaign will run from Feb 10 to Feb 28, with ASHA workers, other frontline health staff and volunteers conducting door-to-door outreach. He said about 1.40 crore people are targeted to receive anti-filarial medicines under direct observation of health workers. Pathak said transmission can be interrupted only if more than 90% of the eligible population takes the drugs, adding that the campaign message is "Our resolve – freedom from filariasis." Pathak said filariasis is mosquito-borne and symptoms often appear after 10 to 15 years, leaving many people as asymptomatic carriers who continue transmission unknowingly. He urged residents to take the medicines in front of health workers, avoid consuming them on an empty stomach, and not be influenced by misinformation. Under the campaign, eligible individuals above one year of age will receive WHO-recommended medicines—ivermectin, diethylcarbamazine (DEC) and albendazole—according to age. Pregnant women, children below one year, and critically ill individuals are excluded. Officials said the medicines are safe, with rare mild and temporary side effects such as nausea or fatigue. Rapid Response Teams will be deployed to handle emergencies. State filaria officer Dr AK Chaudhary said Uttar Pradesh is following a five-pillar strategy: universal drug consumption, morbidity management and disability prevention, mosquito control, inter-departmental coordination, and innovative approaches. He said departments including Panchayati Raj, Education, Urban and Rural Development, and Women and Child Development are supporting implementation. The campaign covers the most blocks in Shahjahanpur (13), Ballia (12) and Barabanki (7). It includes four blocks each in Unnao and Chitrakoot; three in Pratapgarh; two each in Hardoi, Prayagraj, Sonbhadra, Kaushambi, Ayodhya and Bhadohi; and one block each in Rae Bareli, Ambedkar Nagar, Kheri, Pilibhit, Auraiya, Banda, Fatehpur, Bahraich, and the Mall block of Lucknow.