- The first phase of the Nationwide Mass Drug Administration (MDA) campaign for Lymphatic Filariasis elimination has been launched by Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel.
- The main aim of the campaign is to control disease transmission by providing free preventive medications to people affected by this disease in rural areas.
- This campaign will cover 92 districts across 11 states in the next two weeks.
- India is committed to eliminating Lymphatic Filariasis by 2027, three years before the global target.
- In India, 11 states including Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal are participating in this campaign.
- At present, 345 lymphatic filariasis endemic districts are present in 20 states and union territories.
- 75 percent of Mass Drug Administration (MDA) districts are from 5 states Bihar, Jharkhand, UP, Odisha and Telangana.
- Despite more than 15-20 phases of the Mass Drug Administration, only 138 districts have ended MDA.
Lymphatic Filariasis
- It is a parasitic disease caused by nematode worms (roundworms) of the family Filariodidea.
- It is transmitted by infected mosquitoes and can cause acute and chronic symptoms.
- It is prevalent in the tropics and sub-tropics of Asia, Africa, the Western Pacific, and parts of the Caribbean and South America.