THE Ministry of Health in Guyana has launched the 2024 National Lymphatic Filariasis Elimination Campaign, Mass Drug Administration (MDA), in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organisation and World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO).
The initiative aims to eliminate filaria, a debilitating disease affecting over 120 million people worldwide, including regions in Asia, Africa, the Western Pacific, the Caribbean, and South America.
To ensure the success of this campaign, approximately 700 pill distributors have been trained and will begin distributing medication across the country starting today, focusing initially on Regions Three and Four. These distributors can be identified by their purple t-shirts, featuring the logos of the Ministry of Health and PAHO/WHO.

Dr. Annastacia Sampson, National Filaria Coordinator from the Vector Control Services of the Ministry of Health, explained the nature of filaria and its transmission. The disease is spread through the bite of an infected mosquito and can affect individuals of all ages in endemic areas. While filaria may be contracted in childhood, its visible symptoms—swelling of the arms, legs, breast, and scrotum—often appear later in life, leading to permanent disability.
The Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF), launched in 2000, employs two main strategies, one of which is the MDA. This approach involves administering preventative filaria pills to all eligible individuals in affected areas to halt the disease’s transmission.

Guyana’s efforts to combat filaria began in 2001 with a school-based mapping survey across its 10 administrative regions. The results indicated that Regions Seven, Eight, and Nine were partially endemic, while Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, and 10 were fully endemic. Region One was the only non-endemic area. In 2019, the Ministry of Health introduced a new triple drug therapy—comprising Ivermectin, Diethylcarbamazine, and Albendazole (IDA)—during an MDA in eight of the ten regions.
Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, highlighted the long-standing battle against filaria in Guyana, emphasising the societal challenges faced by those affected. He noted that, in the past, many people suffered from “big-foot,” a colloquial term for the severe swelling caused by the disease, due to a lack of treatment and awareness.

However, the minister proudly stated that thanks to previous campaigns and sensitisation efforts, the incidence of filaria in Guyana has significantly decreased. He encouraged everyone to participate in the current MDA campaign to ensure the continued decline and eventual eradication of this life-altering disease.