Kerala - Kochi   

Campaign going on for anti-filariasis drive

KOCHI: In an intensive campaign, the district health authorities are conducting classes for those who can run a campaign for Thursday’s mass drug administration against filariasis.

Classes were held for Corporation councillors, office-bearers of residents’ associations and college students last week.

An orientation class will be held for people’s representatives at the District Panchayat Hall at Kakkanad on Monday.

Mayor Mercy Williams said the Corporation Council would extend all help for the programme, and councillors would supervise it in their respective health circles.

On Tuesday, seminars will be held at the Ernakulam and Mattancherry town halls.

An orientation programme and training will be held for the staff of the Integrated Child Development Scheme on Monday and Tuesday.

The health staff had held a number of awareness classes in colleges, where the response of the students was good, said the mass-media officer of the district health department.

The classes were held in association with the National Service Scheme units of the colleges.

Meetings seeking cooperation from the private sector and homoeopathy and Ayurveda practitioners were held last week.

Orientation programmes for Kudumbasree units are going on at the block panchayat level.

The diethyl carbamazine citrate tablets should be taken once annually for four to six years.

For children aged two to six, one tablet is prescribed, for those between six and 14, two are given and those above 14, three.

Health officials said those who developed fever or rashes after taking the tablets should take it as a positive sign of microfilaria (the young filarial worm) in their bloodstream getting killed. About 85 per cent of the microfilariae got destroyed in a single dose, they said.

The microfilaria spreads from person to person through mosquito bites. An infected person need not show any symptoms for four to five years.

The disease is characterised by swelling of legs, hands or genitals when the adult worms manage to lodge themselves in the lymph nodes. There is no cure at this stage.

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