Uttar Pradesh on Saturday organised several programmes on the occasion of World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day.
NTDs are a group of preventable diseases which include lymphatic filariasis (Hathipaon), visceral leishmaniasis (kala azar), leprosy (kusht rog), dengue, chikungunya, snakebite, rabies etc. that are responsible for killing and disabling millions of people in the country every year.
Uttar Pradesh has reiterated its commitment to ensuring that India's NTD elimination goals are met. Speaking about the state's determination to address the challenge of NTDs, Dr VP Singh, Additional Director and State Programme Officer, said, "We remain committed to ensuring India meets its NTD elimination target much before 2030."
Uttar Pradesh is prioritising the prevention, control and elimination of NTDs through various national disease control programmes. These include programmes for elimination of Lymphatic filariasis, kala azar, rabies, soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) and dengue.
These programmes are aligned with global plans and strategies and are executed based on a fixed annual budget. Through its efforts, India has made significant progress against kala azar and Lymphatic filariasis. India has successfully reduced visceral leishmaniasis as 97 per cent of endemic blocks have achieved the target of elimination (less than 1 case of VL per 10,000 population).
Dengue remains a challenge due to its rapid geographical spread, but India is sustaining the case fatality rate at less than 1 per cent since 2008.
Service delivery for all diseases including NTDs is through the agency of public health systems. Platforms are being created for lymphatic filariasis, visceral leishmaniasis, soil transmitted helminthiasis and leprosy to harmonise elimination efforts in case finding, vector control, mass drug administration etc. wherever possible.
Intersectoral coordination for vector control is being strengthened such that gains made for dengue, filariasis and VL individually reap collateral benefits for each other.
In UP, NTDs pose a significant health challenge. However, the state has been taking concrete steps against these diseases. While COVID-19 diverted resources and attention away from other critical health issues like NTDs, Uttar Pradesh has been quick in resuming NTD related activities in alignment with the WHO's guidance.
Uttar Pradesh has 51 filariasis endemic districts where 76,674 lymphedema cases and 29,228 hydrocele cases have been identified. In addition, 55 patients with kala azar and 34 people suffering from post kala azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) have been identified across six VL endemic districts and are currently being treated.
Further, the state will be undertaking MDA with triple drug regime (IDA) in 12 districts from March 1, 2021 for elimination of filariasis and the authorities have sought support of everyone to make it a success.
