The Mass Drug Administration (MDA) campaign for filariasis eradication, spearheaded by the Uttar Pradesh government, concluded successfully with the administration of medicine to 90% of the targeted population.
A significant achievement of the campaign was its success in convincing 93% of those who initially refused to take the medicine.
State Program Officer for Filaria Dr A K Chaudhary reported here on Sunday that the campaign was conducted in 45 blocks across 14 districts of Uttar Pradesh from February 10 to February 25. In several districts, a follow-up round was conducted to provide medication to those who initially refused or were unavailable during the main drive.
The campaign aimed to cover 1.10 crore people, of which 98,95,981 were successfully administered the medicine. Except for Jaunpur, all districts reported a medicine intake rate of over 80%. In the final rankings, Barabanki secured the top spot, followed by Bareilly, Jalaun, and Lucknow.
Dr. Chaudhary said a major breakthrough was achieved in addressing refusal cases. Of 1.58 lakh people who initially refused, 92.7% were convinced to take the anti-filariasis medicine. “Only children below one year, pregnant women, seriously ill patients, and those who were outside the district were exempted. PSP played a crucial role in this success, with filariasis patients and other PSP members actively contributing to the refusal conversion,” he added.
The campaign also significantly benefited from inter-departmental coordination. Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak and Principal Secretary for Medical and Health Partha Sarathi Sen Sharma contacted public representatives and heads of education and Panchayati Raj departments, urging cooperation.
As a result, public representatives, village heads, ration dealers, and subdivision development officers extended full support to the campaign. Additionally, the education department played a key role in spreading awareness among the public.