Southern States - Tamil Nadu   

Anti-lymphatic filariasis campaign in 13 districts today

By Our Staff Reporter

Chennai March 22. A total of 28 million people in 13 districts will receive doses of diethyl carbamazine (DEC) on Sunday, as part of a campaign to rid Tamil Nadu of lymphatic filariasis.

The campaign, part of a World Health Organisation drive to eliminate filariasis by 2020, is in its second year and will cover at least four million additional people in the `endemic' parts of the State.

All persons, except children under two years and pregnant mothers, will receive tablets, whether or not they are carriers of microfilaria.

According to the officials at the Directorate of Public Health, the tablets are `harmless' and will work only on persons who harbour the parasite.

These persons may show symptoms of fever and vomiting.

In an attempt to cover the target population, the DPH is using a new strategy, COMBI. In addition to spreading information through television and radio, 1.34 lakh people have been identified to take the message and the tablets individually to the houses in all the districts.

Those identified include school teachers, anganwadi workers, panchayat members and block development officers who work in the area.

Each worker has been trained on dissemination of information and distribution of tablets and will handle at least 50 households one day.

The 13 chosen districts are Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Tiruchi, Perambalur, Nagercoil and Kanyakumari.

The programme will have to be sustained with the same intensity over five years, say the DPH officials.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• Peeved Elangovan hits back
• DMK organisational poll enters decisive phase
• Budget mission for textile industry hailed
• QMC to be pulled down for new Secretariat
• Make India a knowledge superpower: Advani
• TVU certificates soon for first batch from California
• Govt. sets unenviable target to lower revenue deficit
• Budget a worse bombshell: Karunanidhi
• Anti-lymphatic filariasis campaign in 13 districts today
• Peter Fernando promoted Madurai archbishop

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu