Mass drug administration to eliminate lymphatic filariasis: A population-based coverage and compliance study in Eastern India

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) like lymphatic filariasis (LF) affect over 1 billion people globally, with India being a significant hotspot. Challenges persist despite global and national efforts, including the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Program to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) and India's National Filaria Control Programme. We conducted a study to assess the coverage and compliance of mass drug administartion (MDA) to improve LF elimination efforts in the Khordha district of Odisha, India. A sample of 2281 participants, including both males and females aged two years or older, was chosen through multistage stratified sampling. These participants were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Collected data regarding socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of filariasis, coverage and consumption of MDA drugs were analyzed. Descriptive statistics were applied to determine coverage and compliance, with results presented alongside a 95 % confidence interval. In our study, coverage and compliance rates were 86.36 % and 91.12 % for Albendazole, while 84.12 % and 90.62 % for DEC respectively. Fear of side effects was the reason for most of the participants' non-consumption. The coverage rate was low in urban areas because of gated communities and a lack of confidence in drug distributors. This recent round of MDA was effective but still fear of side effects and lack of awareness were major challenges for the compliance of MDA drugs that need to be addressed for the complete eradication of LF.