ENBPHA MAJOR HEALTH CAMPAIGN TO COMBAT ELEPHANTIATIS
BY WASITA ROYAL
THE East New Britain Provincial Health Authority recently held a major health campaign that is aimed at treating more than two thousand people with elephantiasis.
The campaign included a Focal Mass Drug Administration this month targeting Karawara Island, Utuwan Island, Moke Moke and Koilau, and Buka-Pomio.
The goal is to reach the 2,368 people in these communities.
This targeted roll-out was launched after a lab tests from the PNG Institute of Medical Research found that the parasites causing Lymphatic Filariasis were still present in some people tested last year.
However, the Disease Controller for the Provincial Health Authority, Joachim Guise, says the campaign is facing several challenges including the ongoing rainy weather, public refusal to take the medication, and misinformation on social media that is discouraging some people.
He also noted that some are afraid of the side effects of taking multiple tablets at once, and that working people are struggling to find the time to come and get their dose.
The campaign, supported by the World Health Organization and JICA, is scheduled to run for ten days and the Health authority is now urging the public in the targeted areas to reach out and participate in this major health initiative.
