SARLAHI: More than 400,000 people across 12 local levels in Sarlahi district will be administered preventive medication against elephantiasis following a rise in infections in the area.
The District Health Office, Sarlahi, plans to provide anti-elephantiasis drugs to 430,941 people—around 80 percent of the population—in the affected local levels.
A special campaign has been launched after lymphatic filariasis was found to be spreading rapidly in several areas of the district. The infection was detected during tests conducted in October by the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD), Teku, Kathmandu, in coordination with the World Health Organization. The survey divided the district’s 20 local units into two groups for testing.
Balara Municipality, Ramnagar, Dhanakaul, Basabariya, Chakraghatta, Bishnu, Koudena, Brahmapuri, and Parsa rural municipalities, along with Godaita, Malangawa, and Haripurwa municipalities, were grouped together for the study.
Of the 300 samples collected from areas including Balara, Chakraghatta, and Brahmapuri, 28 cases of elephantiasis were confirmed. With the infection continuing to spread, health authorities decided to administer preventive medication across the affected areas.
As part of the campaign, the District Health Office organized an interaction program last Wednesday focusing on the elimination of elephantiasis. Dr. Sashi Badel of the EDCD said that although elephantiasis can cause serious physical complications, it is preventable if medicines are taken regularly and on time.
Comment