Mass drug administration to eliminate lymphatic filariasis in Southern India

Background Lymphatic filariasis is an important public health problem in India. Inspite of National filarial control programme (NFCP) being in place for lymphatic filariasis (LF) elimination, several important issues need to be addressed. There is uncertainty about the coverage and compliance to treatment in order to achieve elimination. Method A community based cross-sectional study was conducted as per the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) directions. The study included survey of 200 households of Dakshina Kannada District, South India where the Mass drug administration (MDA) program was conducted. The main objective of the study was to assess the coverage and compliance to MDA. Results Out of the total 1050 eligible people, 876 (83%) received the DEC tablets; so, the coverage was 83%. Among those who received the tablets, only 777 (88.7%) received the adequate dose and only 670 (76.8%) people actually consumed the tablets. Hence, compliance rate was only 76.8%. Conclusion The planning and implementation of MDA programme needs to be strengthened by efficient micro planning, inter sectoral co-ordination and motivating the community to participate in the MDA programme.