Health

Second roll out of MDA for the North begins

September 28, 2022 4:00 pm

The roll out of the second Mass Drug Administration (MDA) in the Northern Division has started.

The MDA program aims to treat and prevent three debilitating conditions that affect our Fijian communities in the North, scabies, lymphatic filariasis and intestinal worms.

Minister for Health and Medical Services Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete says they hope to ride on the successful rollout of the first MDA campaign in 2019.

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“There’s been a 17 percent reduction that we note and could be more. We are looking forward that now with the 2nd roll out we can achieve even more in terms of reducing lymphatic filariasis prevalence to less than one percent as the acceptable elimination target and also more inroads in our work in reducing scabies and impetigo.”

Ministry of Health’s Head of Health Protection Dr Alisha Sahu-Khan says they have reached the elimination targets for the Western and Central Divisions.

“In the Western Division and the Central Division, we have stopped doing Mass Drug Administration because they have reached the elimination targets. Now we got the Northern Division and the Eastern Division who are close but not quite there.”

The MDA is being carried out in collaboration with the World Health Organization and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
JICA is also assisting with the piloting of an MDA data platform with the Ministry of Health.

Health personnel and community health workers will be visiting homes, schools and selected workplaces throughout the Northern Division to distribute the MDA.

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services encourages everyone to take this opportunity to take their tablets and play their part in securing better health for all.