The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) announced today the official launch the 2025 Mass Drug Administration (MDA) campaign, a vital step toward eliminating Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) and other neglected tropical diseases that continue to affect Guyanese communities.
The 2025 campaign will focus on Region 4 and the community of La Parfaite Harmony, where transmission remains above the 1% threshold. The MDA involves administering a combination of albendazole, diethylcarbamazine (DEC), and ivermectin, a proven triple therapy that kills the microfilariae, the parasitic worm, which when spread, from person to person results in presentation of the disease.
To achieve this, the Ministry of Health has recruited 639 field workers, including pill distributors, with support from PAHO and other partners. These workers will go door-to-door to educate residents and ensure that each person receives and takes the medication.
Lymphatic Filariasis, a mosquito-borne parasitic disease, can cause severe swelling of the limbs, known locally as “Bigfoot”, and other disfiguring symptoms.