Campaign against elephantiasis: Only about 17% take medicine on a regular basis five times in ten years

BIRATNAGAR: For the 12th time, medicine against elephantiasis is being administered in Morang district. The campaign will begin on Feb 23rd.

Despite the annual elephantiasis campaign, the use of medicine has been inadequate.

The district health office said in a press conference that 80 percent of the medicines will be used in Morang district this year.

In Morang, 16.78 percent of the people who take medicine 5 times regularly, when the campaign for taking medicine up to 10 times was run.

This is the statistic of taking medicine 5 times regularly. The head of district health office, Morang, Dr. Suresh Mehta, said that daily wage workers and seasonal workers did not take medicine. “Those who do not take medicine will die, even senior citizens,” he said.

Mehta stated that they provide three anti-elephantiasis medications and that if these medications are taken consistently for two years, elephantiasis can be eradicated. Dr. Mehta claims that the anti-elephantiasis drugs ivermectin, diethylcarbamazine, and albendazole are safe.

The anti-elephantiasis medication has not caused any harm thus far, and it is feared that it will not, so he requested that the medication be taken without interruption.

The office’s goal is to provide medicine to 8 lakh Morang district residents. 11 lakh 28 thousand 957 people can eat. He stated that the district health office has provided a budget of around 10 lakhs to carry out the campaign.

It has been advised that children under the age of two, pregnant and post-partum mothers up to seven days old, sick patients, patients with acute or chronic diseases that make getting out of bed difficult or weak, patients admitted to the hospital and dependent on medical methods such as dialysis, should not take the elephantiasis medicine.