OVER 130 pill distributors attached to the Ministry of Health’s Lymphatic Filariasis Elimination Campaign have been dispatched to various communities in Region Two to distribute filaria pills.

The Pomeroon-Supenaam region officially launched its distribution campaign on March 5 in the compound of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) at Anna Regina, on the Essequibo Coast.

According to the Regional Health Officer, Dr. Ranjeev Singh, persons within the region can expect to see pill distributors visiting their homes and workplaces from March 8 to March 21. He, therefore, called on all Essequibians to take the pills, as Guyana strives to move one step closer towards the elimination of the disease.

Dr. Singh added that the Ministry of Health and PAHO/WHO are also encouraging everyone to take the pills.

He explained that during the Mass Distribution Administration (MDA) campaign, Essequibians will be given three different tablets: Ivermectin, Dec, and Albendazole. The number of pills, he said, will vary, based on a person’s height.

“The IDA triple-drug therapy has proven to be effective and safe, and once Guyana achieves its target in this second phase, we can help eliminate filaria transmission. Let us make this year count,” Dr. Singh said.

Meanwhile, the Regional Chairperson, Vilma De Silva, also pledged support on behalf of the RDC to the efforts being made to eliminate the disease in the region, and other parts of the country.

Like Dr. Singh, the Ministry of Health, and PAHO/WHO, she encouraged residents to take the filaria pills. She also took the opportunity to consume her dose of the pills in front of a number of residents, as a way of encouraging them to take theirs, and also to show support for the campaign.

One of the Regional Coordinators, Nurse Darcia Bissoon said that the roll-out of the campaign has begun in the region. Pills are being distributed in all secondary schools, and in various Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) along the Essequibo Coast.

Bissoon added that it is important that persons are responsive to the MDA campaign, since the triple-drug regimen provides permanent sterilization against the filaria worms, and is also effective against lice and scabies.

Nurse Bissoon said that the region achieved 75% coverage in the first round of the MDA, which was conducted in 2019. This figure surpassed the 65% minimum coverage needed for a successful campaign.

Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) is a mosquito-borne disease caused by a tiny worm called microfilaria that damages the lymphatic system, leading to extreme swelling of the legs, arms, and scrotum. It is spread through the bite of an infected Culex mosquito. Only pregnant mothers, seriously ill persons, and children under two years are exempted from taking the pills.