Poor quality drug allotted for anti-filariasis drive

Campaign in Palakkad and Malappuram postponed indefinitely

The Health Department has initiated an investigation into the circumstances in which a mass administration of Diethylcarbamazine Citrate (DEC) tablets, to check incidence of lymphatic filariasis, planned in Palakkad and Malappuram districts had been postponed indefinitely following the allotment of poor quality of tablets for the drive.

The campaign was expected to begin on Monday in the two districts, which had reported a large number filariasis cases. It was to continue till December 27. But it was dropped because of the poor quality of 17 lakh tablets sourced from a private pharma company with the approval of Central and State governments.

It was only on Saturday morning when district health authorities in Palakkad opened the packets, they realised that the tablets were of poor quality. Most of the tablets were in powder form. Department sources pointed to the possibility of poor quality checking at the manufacturing level. It was only after bringing the issue to the notice of the State Health Director and the Health Secretary that the drive was postponed indefinitely.

The incident has triggered a rift within the Health Department. Many doctors are alleging that the failure to launch the campaign on schedule would affect other immunization campaigns initiated in the region.

Top officials are on a cover-up mode to stop the issue from being exposed. They claimed the drive was postponed because of the deployment of doctors and health workers in the Cyclone Ockhi affected coastal regions of the State.

Department sources confirmed that the tablets were handed over to the districts after quality check by experts deputed by the Central and State governments. Manufactured by a UP-based pharma company, the tablets would expire only in 2020 as per the markings on the label.

The tablets were expected to be distributed through primary health centres in entire Palakkad district and five developmental blocks in the coastal regions of Malappuram.

These areas had shown the presence of microfilariae, the minute larva that enters a person's bloodstream and get passed on when a mosquito bites an infected person,. Each identified person was supposed to take three DEC tablets and one Albendazole tablet meant for the treatment of a variety of parasitic worm infestations.