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WHO's project for treating Filariasis

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October 24, 2000 

Dhaka-- (UNB)- An estimated 2 crore people, especially in north Bengal, suffering from lymphatic filariasis will soon receive proper treatment free of cost.

The government has taken up a project with assistance from the World Health Organisation (WHO) for treatment of the disease caused by mosquito biting. And the poor malnourished people are more vulnerable to this disease.

According to Health officials, 120 million people in 83 countries around the world are suffering from filariasis of which 78 million in Asia.

WHO in 1997 had taken a resolution to eliminate the disease globally by 2020. Bangladesh government has however adopted a plan to get rid of the disease 10 years earlier by 2010.

Health officials told UNB Correspondent Rashed Ahmed Mitul that WHO has agreed to supply tablets and necessary financial assistance to support the project being implemented by the government.

Initially WHO will supply 85 million Diethyl Carbamazine (DEC) and Albendazole tablets, which are equally good as preventive and curative measure against filariasis.

Officials said Finance Ministry has okayed import of the tablets free of duty.

Doctors said filariasis is an infectious mosquito borne disease. Culex, Anopheles, Aedes and Mansonia mosquitoes are carriers of Wuchereria bancrofti, causing germ of filariasis.

The symptoms of filariasis are itching, asthma and urticaria lymphoedema. And finally it turns patients into permanently deform through swelling of leg, hand, breast and genital organs.

"It is a disease of the poorest of the poor," said Dr Moazzem Hossain, Associate Professor of IEDCR, Mohakhali who worked on filariasis.

A Joint Secretary of the Health Ministry said the project titled 'Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (PELF)' is under process of implementation.

Another official said everything is ready. Now they are waiting for selection of a line director and a manager of the project.

A task force as well as an action plan have been made early this year to deal with filariasis under the programme, the official said.

He hinted that that the project would be launched from Panchagarh, an endemic area of 13 northern districts, on January 1, 2001.

In the first phase of the programme, tablets will be administered to the people in all the 18 districts for 5 years till 2005. Rest 46 districts of the country will be covered from 2006 to 2010.