Context:

Union Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare, launched the second phase of the Bi-annual Nationwide Mass Drug Administration (MDA) campaign.

More on the news

• The campaign targets 63 endemic districts across Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Odisha, Telangana, and Uttar Pradeshwith 771 blocks.
• It comprises 38 triple-drug and 25 double-drug areas in the above six states.
• It will provide door-to-door administration of preventive medications in endemic areas, advancing India’s goal to eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis ahead of the global target.
• Lymphatic Filariasis, a mosquito-borne disease is preventable through simple measures, thus Mass Drug Administration (MDA) rounds are crucial in halting its transmission.
• To ensure success in the upcoming MDA rounds it is imperative that 90% of all eligible populations consume these medicines.
• The first phase of the Bi-annual MDA campaign 2024, which covered 96 districts across 11 states, achieved a national coverage rate of 95% of the eligible population.

Lymphatic Filariasis

• It is also known as elephantiasis (Haatipaon), which is a debilitating disease caused by parasitic worms transmitted through the bite of an infected Culex mosquito that breeds in dirty or polluted water. 
• It impairs the lymphatic system and can lead to the abnormal enlargement of body parts, causing pain, severe disability, and social stigma.
• It is a Vector-Borne neglected tropical disease. 
• Most infections are asymptomatic, showing no external signs of infection while contributing to the transmission of the parasite. 
• It can be eliminated by stopping the spread of infection through preventive chemotherapy with safe medicine combinations repeated annually.
• India is committed to eliminating Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) by 2027.