Union Health Ministry launches nationwide 'Sarva Dawa Sevan' campaign to eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis by 2027
Feb 10, 2023
New Delhi [India], February 10 : Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday launched a nationwide 'Sarva Dawa Sevan' or Mass Drug Administration (MDA) campaign aiming to eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) by 2027, which is three years ahead of the global target.
Union Secretary for Health & Family Welfare Rajesh Bhushan launched a nationwide Mass Drug Administration (MDA) campaign aimed at ending disease transmission through the door-to-door administration of anti-filarial drugs, especially in 10 filaria-affected states.
This launch comes a month after the program received resounding support from the Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to eliminate Filariasis by 2027, three years ahead of the global target.
According to an official statement, high-burden districts in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh jointly launched the campaign today.
While launching the campaign, Rajesh Bhushan said, "Collective action is required to tackle LF."
He guided all the states to focus on Directly Observed Therapy rather than the distribution of the drugs. He emphasized focusing on intensive monitoring at the block level.
He also pointed out the need for daily analyses of coverage and monitoring reports at all levels besides monitoring of the monitors to ensure quality data. He suggested that good practices from states can be taken up by other states too, this will help in tackling LF efficiently.
Bhushan also interacted with the Principal Secretaries and Mission Directors of National Health Mission (NHM) from participating states shared updates on their preparedness and commitment to ensuring the success of the campaign.
