THE Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has extended condolences to the family of Domattie Mannie, who reportedly died last Thursday morning, but noted that her direct cause of death was a heart attack (myocardial infarction) and not because she consumed  filariasis tablets during the current drug campaign.

In another section of the media, the family of the 57-year-old woman is reported to have blamed her death on the fact that she was given nine tablets last Sunday, at her home, by distributors who are part of the MoPH Mass Drug Administration (MDA) ‘Lymphatic Filariasis Elimination’ Campaign.

The family member said Mannie collapsed shortly after taking the pills, subsequently dying on Thursday. “Based on her death certificate, the direct cause of death was a heart attack (myocardial infarction). While the MoPH is awaiting the result of the Post Mortem Examination (PME), the opportunity is being taken to remind the population that the filaria pills being distributed are safe,” a statement from the Ministry said.

“The MoPH is always and remains open to providing clarifications to any doubt that members of the press and the population in general may have regarding this campaign. The MoPH is working in the best interest of all Guyanese in this fight to eliminate filaria.”
It is very normal for persons who take the pills, and have the filaria parasite within their system, to experience some side effects including nausea, diarrhea, headache, dizziness, and muscle pain. The MoPH, in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO), is currently implementing its triple-drug therapy, which sees the administering of three different tablets: Ivermectin, DEC and Albendazole (IDA).  The dosage for the distribution is determined by the height of each individual.

In previous years, dosage was determined by age; however, the height calculation is required with the IDA strategy. The ministry has done extensive research to ensure that all of the medication that will be distributed have been tested, and have met the safety requirements for distribution to the general public. The drug-distribution exercise will target eight of Guyana’s ten administrative regions.

So far this year, 454,073 persons have received the filaria pills in all targeted administrative regions of Guyana with 30,295 of those from Region 2. It is worth noting that no serious adverse event has been reported in this massive campaign.
“We congratulate the 454, 073 who have already taken their filaria pills this year; we continue to encourage those who have not yet had the opportunity to receive their pills, to come forward and take their pills in support of the filaria elimination campaign,” the Ministry said.

Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) or ‘Filaria’, as it is more commonly called, affects the body’s lymphatic system, which functions to remove unwanted fluids from the body and transports ‘lymph’– a fluid which contains white blood cells that help to fight infections. In Guyana, filariasis is caused by the wuchereria bancrofti worm and is transmitted from human to human by the culex mosquito. The Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis began in 2001 in Guyana. Guyana has made tremendous progress in the fight against filaria, however, the objective is for the elimination of the disease by 2020.