Udupi is on the way to become the first in the State to be declared a ‘filariasis-free’ district, according to a press release issued by District Vector Borne Diseases Control Officer Prashanth Bhat, here on Tuesday.
Dr. Bhat said that the Mass Drug Administration (MDA) programme was launched in Udupi district in 2004 to bring filariasis under total control.
During the MDA programme, all the people in the district were compulsorily given albendazole and diethylcarbamazine (DEC) tablets. These measures proved to be effective. After the programme, the Transmission Assessment Survey (TAS) and Post-Mass Drug Administration (MDA) survey were conducted in the district in 2014, 2016 and 2019. These surveys showed that there was no case of filariasis in the district.
For formal declaration of the district as ‘filariasis-free’, a certification from the World Health Organisation (WHO) is needed. The certificate had been sent to WHO for approval and it was awaited.
All steps would be taken to keep Udupi filariasis-free for the next two years, the release said.