CHENNAI: Though state health department claims to have eradicated filaria to a great extent, the recent report by National Vector-borne diseases control programme listed 20 districts of Tamil Nadu as filaria-endemic and indigenous cases of filariasis have been reported from Tamil Nadu.
The state health department could boast of its filaria clinics and control units, but in spite of 42 filaria clinics and 21 control units being run in the State, around 20 districts of Tamil Nadu are still filarial endemic.
Of the 21 states and union territories endemic for lymphatic filariasis, Tamil Nadu ranks third in the high number of filarial -endemic districts after Uttar Pradesh and Bihar that have reported 51 and 38 districts as filarial-endemic.
Currently, Chennai, Cuddalore, Kanchipuram, Kanyakumari, Nagapattinam, Perambalur, Pudukottai, Thanjavur, Thiruvallur, Thiruvannamalai, Thiruvarur, Trichy, Vellore, Villupuram, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Krishnagiri and Karur are listed as filarial-endemic districts.
Though Tamil Nadu stopped Mass Drug Administration (MDA) for malaria after it had achieved elimination status, negligence and lack of proper surveillance post-MDA had now placed 20 districts of the state in the list of filarial-endemic districts.
However, medicos emphasise that mass drug administration of a single dose of anti-filarial drugs to the entire community annually once for five-six years is necessary to prevent the filarial infection. State health department officials say that the administration of drugs is being done at the filaria clinics. “State had earlier achieved elimination status after successful administration of drugs and more attempts are being made to achieve this at an earlier stage,” said the official.
“There are no initial symptoms and affected people might look completely healthy, but might carry micro-filaria in their blood. Therefore, in the absence of any visible symptoms, it is necessary that everyone except pregnant women, children below two years of age and persons who are very sick from other illness should be given Diethylcarbamazine (DEC) and albendazole under MDA. Protection from mosquito bites is also very important,” said Dr P. Vasanthamani, dean, Kilpauk Medical College.
