Public responding positively to filaria elimination campaign

− 39,000 persons inoculated

-Dr. Anthony

Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Frank Anthony says the response to the mass drug administration (MDA) programme to eliminate filaria in Guyana, has been positive with over 39,000 persons already inoculated.

Since Monday’s launch, the public has capitalised on the chance to protect themselves, Dr. Anthony said, during Thursday’s COVID-19 update. The drugs being administered are Ivermectin (IVM), Diethylcarbamazine (DEC) and Albendazole (ALB). 

“It has been going very well because we started to work with Regions Three and Four, and our expectations are we’re going to be spending at least 14 days in each region. The response has been really good, and we were able to as of yesterday afternoon, reach at least about 39,000 persons.”

Dr. Anthony urged the public not to miss this crucial opportunity to protect themselves against the filaria disease.  

“Our teams continue to work, and we would like to urge the population to give them their cooperation because if we are all successful, then in a few months, the World Health Organization would be able to certify that we have eliminated filaria from Guyana.

We are providing the medication and we want people to take the medication because we want them to be protected, and so we urge everyone, when you see the team come around, to talk to them, get educated and take the medication so that we can be filaria-free.”

After the exercise is completed in Regions Three and Four, it would be conducted in the other regions from the most prevalent to the least, according to the schedule.

Minister Anthony noted that at least 70 per cent of the population would need to be inoculated before Guyana could be given the filaria-free WHO certification.