Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak consumed anti filariasis drugs on Thursday to launch Mass Drug Administration (MDA) programme in 27 district of the state to join the national level campaign launched by Union Health Minister Manasukh Mandaviya.
In the virtual launch, Minister of state (Parliamentary affairs, Medical Education, Medical Health and Family Welfare) Mayankeshwar Sharan Singh, along with officials, was present during the ceremony.
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On this occasion, Pathak announced the MDA of the programme is commencing in 27 filariasis-affected districts including Auraiya, Bahraich, Balrampur, Basti, Deoria, Etawah, Farrukhabad, Gazipur, Gonda, Gorakhpur, Kannauj, Kushinagar, Maharajganj, Rae Bareli, Sant Kabir Nagar, Shravasti, Siddharthnagar, and Sultanpur, where two medicines, DEC and Albendazole, will be administered and in Chandauli, Fatehpur, Hardoi, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur Nagar, Kaushambi, Khiri, Mirzapur, Sitapur, and Hardoi, three medicines, DEC, Albendazole and Ivermectin, will be administered to the eligible population by trained health workers.
He also mentioned that around 82.3 million individuals living in these 27 districts will be reached out by 65,000 trained health workers through booth and door-to-door visits as part of this campaign.
He emphasised the need to focus on filariasis elimination, as it is intricately linked to communities’ health and development. People affected by filariasis often suffer from social neglect due to the disability it causes, impacting their livelihood and work capacity, leading to economic disparities.