The Kerala Government has decided to postpone the controversial move to administer diethylcarbamazine citrate (DEC) drug to majority of its population on June 5 to control filariasis in the state.

In a government communication on Wednesday, the state health minister Kadavoor Sivadasan said the agencies entrusted by the Central Government with the task of distributing the drug could not make available DEC tablets to all parts of the state. The programme, as part of a national project to eliminate filariasis, has also been postponed in other southern states like Tamil Nadu, Andhara Pradesh, Karnataka and Goa for the same reasons. The government would soon announce the fresh date of the Mass Drug Administration (MDA) programme, once the distribution system was set right, informed the Minister.

Meanwhile, many cultural leaders and experts have come forward to question the efficacy of the drug, and about the possible side effects. Sukumar Azhikkode, renowned writer and cultural leader demanded the government to form a committee of experts to scrutinize the efficacy of the drug. The drug should be administered to the masses only after ensuring the safety of the drug. Various experts have authoritatively pointed out that the drug could cause adverse reactions to human body, and hence the government should postpone the programme until a committee of experts verifies the safety aspects, said Azhikkode.

Meanwhile, the Institution of Homeopaths, Kerala has demanded the government to review its decision to give DEC as part of an MDA programme. According to its state president Sundaram Velayudhan, the drug is not prescribed for old people, those who use steroids, patients having renal and cardiac problems, children, lactating mothers and pregnant women. The correct way to treat filariasis is to identify the disease and then treat the people infected with the disease, rather than giving the drug to all. Homeopathy has effective drugs to fight against the disease, said the association president.