Jharkhand
Workshop on Filaria Eradication
- 08 Oct 2025
- 2 min read
Why in News?
Under the Filaria Eradication Campaign, a health awareness workshop was organized at Arogya Ayushman Mandir, Chandkopa.
- The event focused on educating villagers about the prevention, symptoms, and treatment of lymphatic filariasis, a mosquito-borne disease affecting thousands across endemic regions.
Key Facts About Lymphatic Filariasis
- About: Lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis), is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) caused by infection with filarial parasites transmitted through mosquitoes.
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Prevalence: In 2021, approximately 882.5 million people in 44 countries lived in areas requiring preventive chemotherapy to halt the spread of infection.
- 75% of Mass Drug Administration (MDA) districts are from 5 states Bihar, Jharkhand, UP, Odisha and Telangana.
- Cause: It is caused by infection with parasites classified as nematodes (roundworms) of the family Filariodidea. There are 3 types of these thread-like filarial worms:
- Wuchereria bancrofti (responsible for 90% of the cases)
- Brugia malayi (causes most of the remainder of the cases)
- Brugia timori (which also causes the disease)
- Symptoms: Most infections remain asymptomatic, but chronic cases cause lymphoedema, elephantiasis, and hydrocele, leading to disability and social stigma.
- Treatment and Prevention: The WHO-recommended Mass Drug Administration (MDA) provides annual preventive chemotherapy to at-risk populations to interrupt transmission.
- Global and National Initiatives: The Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF), launched in 2000, aims for elimination through preventive chemotherapy and morbidity management by 2030.
- India’s Mission Mode MDA Campaign, aligned with National Deworming Day (Feb 10 & Aug 10), targets elimination by 2027, three years ahead of the global goal.
