The Kerala Health Department supported by eleven district administrations of the state, will be launching a three-day mass drug administration (MDA) drive from November 11 to 13 in the eleven Filaria endemic districts of the state, according to Dr K Shylaja, director of Health Services, Kerala.

"Filariasis is one of the most debilitating and disfiguring scourges among all diseases. It is a major public health problem in many Southeast Asian countries. Nine out of the 11 countries in the Region are known to be endemic for filariasis. The infection is caused by helminthic worms inhabiting the lymphatics," she said.

According to the director, the drive is part of the WHO-sponsored programme initiated by the Union Health Ministry in 2005 to achieve the target of stamping out the ugly disease spread through mosquitoes by the year 2015. The fourth phase of the drive, which has been continuing for the last four years, involves administration of Di-ethylcarbamizine (DEC) and Albendazole tablets to all the people in the endemic areas of the state except Malappuram, Idukki and Pathanamthitta districts. The director said this disease is found mostly in coastal areas of the state.

While briefing to Pharmabiz Dr Shylaja clarified that Filariasis is one of the six eradicable diseases identified by the world Health Organisation in 1997, the others being Poliomyelitis, Guinea worm, Tapeworm, German measles and Mumps of which Guinea worm has already been eradicated in India. The anti-filarial drugs will be administered to all the people except children below the age of two years, expectant mothers and persons suffering from chronic diseases, by trained volunteers through a door-to-door campaign on these days.

For children between the age of two and five, the dose is one 100 mg DEC and one 400 mg Albendazole. For those in the age group six to 14, the dosage is 2 DEC tabs and one Albendazole. For those who are 15 and above, the dosage is 3 DEC tablets and one Albendazole tablet. According to the Director, on the first day the drug administrators will go house to house to distribute DEC tablets to all people and to ensure they are consumed by them. On the following two days mop up campaign will be taken up to cover the missing and left out houses.

About the disease the Doctor said since Filaria remains dormant for five to seven years even after the micro filarial worm entering the human body and it would manifest in to filarial disease latter. The consumption of DEC drug will kill the micro filarial worms thus freeing the person from the disease, which may even incapacitate a man. "When an infected mosquito bites a person, it injects the parasitic roundworms into the bloodstream that travel to the lymphatic system," she said adding that the worms might live undetected for six months to one year before symptoms surfaced such as enlarged arms, legs, genitalia and breasts.