MDA 2017 campaign achieves 86 percent coverage

DPI, GUYANA, Saturday, January 27, 2018

With an estimated 86 percent coverage, the Mass Drug Administration (MDA) campaign, which is aimed at providing preventative filaria medication to persons living in endemic areas, has been deemed successful.

The programme, launched by the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Education, last year targeted areas in Regions Three, Four, Five and 10.

This was highlighted on Friday evening at a post MDA event. Delivering the feature address, Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence thanked Dr. Fabu Moses, Head of Neglected Infectious Diseases VCS, and her team for achieving these results for 2017 as opposed to 54.2 percent in 2016.

The Health Minister also said the campaign is one of the many initiatives, the ministry has undertaken. She acknowledged the support of the Pan American Health Organisation/ World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO), other government and non-governmental institutions involved in the Integrated Planning and Costing exercise.

Minister Lawrence also said that this year emphasis will be placed on education and dissemination of information, via technological means, about filariasis, HPV and other infectious diseases

“With the advent of social media globally, we have all witnessed various channels through which information is disseminated and the immediate feedback that becomes available as issues are addressed. In Guyana, we all know that this technological revolution is quite alive and the fever of being informed is rife, so let us make good use of it,” the minister said.

In her remarks, Head of Neglected Infectious Diseases VCS, Dr. Moses reported that for 2017, her unit successfully brought on board 72 health centres to the program which resulted in 1,051 pill distributions. She noted, following modification of the programme’s strategy – that allowed for the targetting of schools, workplaces and marketplaces  –  523 school visits, to both public and private institutions were recorded.

Dr. Moses acknowledged while there were some minor challenges regarding the campaign, her unit was able to pull through and achieve its goals.

PAHO representative, Dr. William Adu-Krow, said the organisation will continue to provide its support to the ministry to ensure Guyana is fully on the path towards elimination and pledged the sum of US$2M to continue the work.

Among those awarded at the event for their outstanding performance in 2017 was Nurse Deslyn Fraser of Region Five. She was awarded for her longstanding performance in MDA. Meanwhile, Nurse Shonnel Watson was awarded for her outstanding performance, and Dr. Allena Hercules received an award for being an outstanding team member. The Dorothy Bailey Health Centre also came in for commendation.

 

By: Neola Damon

 

For more photos, click on the link to the DPI’s Flickr Page

https://www.flickr.com/photos/142936155@N03/