The Ministry of Health and the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) launched the Lymphatic Filariasis Mass Drug Administration (MDA) Training on Monday.
The goal is to eradicate filaria in Guyana.
This latest round of MDA training sessions marks the final round of MDA to eradicate lymphatic filariasis in Regions Three and Four.
Health professionals will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to effectively implement the Mass Drug Administration Ivermectin, Diethylcarbamazine, and Albendazole (MDA-IDA) regimen.
Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony said that the government has embarked on a comprehensive campaign to administer the triple therapy method to eradicate the disease, which has existed for centuries.
According to Dr Anthony, this approach has proven to be successful on a global scale.
He added that this initiative is important towards Guyana’s eradication of this tropical illness.
“We have been working to get rid of this problem. We have never been so close. We are almost there…We have eliminated lymphatic filaria from eight of the ten regions,” he said during remarks at PAHO/WHO’s Boardroom on Regent Street in Georgetown.
He explained that more work needs to be done in specific communities in Regions Three and Four, where the disease is more prevalent.
“That is why we are going back this year to ensure that we cover these areas thoroughly. I think if we do that, we are going to be able to say, sometime next year or the year after, that we have eliminated [the disease] from all the regions in Guyana,” the health minister noted.
Minister Anthony noted that the health professionals will be fully equipped with the requisite information to effectively execute their duties when administering the medications and responding to queries about the pills from the public.
Once this is done, he added that it will help to contribute to the health and well-being of many families.
Minister Anthony stated that the health workers will be adequately prepared with the necessary knowledge to effectively execute their responsibilities while giving the medications and responding to questions from the general public about the importance of the pills.
He said that after this is done, it will improve the health and well-being of many families.
“They will work with you to make sure that we train you well. When we train you well, we want you to go out and implement this…We have to make sure that we are taking the right message to every household and that they understand what we are saying to them,” he stated.
The first mass drug administration campaign with IDA began in 2019, the second round in 2021 and the third round in 2024.
Director of Vector Control Services, Dr Reza Niles-Robin and PAHO/WHO Country Representative, Dr Kim Eva Dickson also delivered remarks at the event.
