DPHO to mobilize students for MDA drive against filariasis

KATHMANDU, March 7 : As the coverage of the government´s mass drug administration (MDA) campaign against filariasis or elephantiasis remains very low, the District Public Health Office, Kathmandu has decided to seek the help of college students to make the campaign a success.

The Kathmandu DPHO is launching MDA campaign against lymphatic filariasis popularly known as elephantiasis on 14 to 17 March in the district. It hopes that mobilizing students for the campaign would ensure higher coverage.


"We hope mobilizing students for the campaign would ensure higher coverage," said Sri Krishna Bhatta, chief at the Kathmandu DPHO. He informed that DPHO has requested over 60 renowned colleges in the metropolis to send their students for the training.

According to Bhatta, urban population and so called elite people are unsupportive toward the campaign. "They think that elephantiasis does not occur among relatively well-off people. This is a misconception," said Bhatta. As a result the coverage of the MDA campaign in Kathmandu district is very low.

Volunteers mobilized during the campaign in the past complain that do not get access to big malls, apartments and housing colonies. Some people even unleash their dogs to chase away the volunteers. Although the district health administration is hoping for support from college students, DPHO has had a bitter experience in the past. Private schools and colleges had barred health volunteers from administering elephantiasis drugs to students.

According to Bhatta, the filariasis disease is prevalent among 23 percent of the people in the metropolis. He hopes that college students will get access to private schools, colleges and housing colonies.

The Kathmandu DPHO has also requested the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) to ask the Ministry of Education (MoE) to direct all the schools in the district to cooperate with health volunteers mobilized during the campaign.

Elephantiasis is the second leading cause of disability after leprosy and causes permanent disability.

A survey carried out in 2003 showed that the disease is prevalent in 23 percent of the population in the capital and 13 percent of the total population.

The government has to eliminate the disease by 2020 from the country as per its commitment in international forums.

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