Bhubaneswar, 06/02/2026: he Mass Drug Administration Program (MDA) for the prevention of Filariasis will start from February 10 (Tuesday). Under the mass drug administration program, 7.40 lakh people will be given anti-filariasis drugs. As per the schedule, the National Deworming Day (NDD) program will be organized along with the mass drug administration program from February 10 to 19 in Balangir, Bargarh, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Ganjam districts. The programme will be implemented in 07 Implementation Units (IUs) (blocks/urban areas) of these 5 districts for the prevention of Filariasis. Under the mass drug administration program, 3 drugs, namely DEC, Albendazole and Ivermectin tablets, will be given. Children below the age of 2 years, pregnant women and seriously ill people are prohibited from taking this medicine. 2200 drug administrators have been deployed in this program. 210 observers have been deployed to supervise their work, the department said in a press conference organized by the department.

The drug administrators will go door to door to administer MDA medicine. It was felt in the conference that coordination, cooperation and support between various departments are essential to provide medicine to everyone. The conference was chaired by Special Secretary Jitendra Mohan Bebarta, and attended  by Health Services Director Dr. Pradeep Kumar Guru, Public Health Director Dr. Nilakantha Mishra, State Health and Family Welfare Institute Additional Director Dr. Kiran Kumar Ratha, Family Welfare Director Dr. Shakti Prakash Mishra, Senior Regional Director Dr. Nilam Somalkar, Additional Director Dr. Prabhakar Sahu along with departmental officers and media representatives were present. Information has been given that the departments of Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water, School and Mass Education, Higher Education, Mission Shakti, Women and Child Development, Industries, Steel and Mines, Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Caste Development, Urban Development etc. of the Government of Odisha have been requested to cooperate in the MDA program.

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