A prayer service at the Fagaalu Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa yesterday kicked off a campaign to eliminate lymphatic filiarisis in American Samoa.
Lymphatic filariasis (LF) or mūmū tutupa in Samoan, is a parasitic disease caused by worms that are spread between people by mosquitoes.
Infection can cause swelling of the arms, legs and other body parts. People can become infected with the worms for a long time before they start to see the effects of the disease.
The official launch of the campaign which has been billed, Gugu Le Mumu or silence Filiarisis takes place at 9am at the Lee Auditorium.
Opening keynote will be delivered by Mr. Rasul Baghrov of the World Health Organization and the Executive Director of the Pacific Island Health Officers Association Emi Chutoro will read the proclamation.
Both organizations partnered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assist the Department of Health with elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis in American Samoa.
The effort involves a mass drug administration (MDA) wherein medication will be given to all eligible persons in the community to stop lymphatic filariasis.
DOH says participating in the mass drug administration will ensure you and your family are protected from the effects of this disease.
Everyone is expected to take the medication except for
- Pregnant women — Pregnant women should wait to participate in the MDA until after they are no longer pregnant for safety reasons;
- Breastfeeding mothers — Women who are currently breastfeeding should wait until after they are no longer breastfeeding to participate in the MDA for safety reasons; and
- Children under 2 years of age — Parents of children under 2 years old are advised not to have their children participate in the MDA due to limited information on the safe use in this age group.
It is planned that the distribution of pills to cover all of Tutuila and Manu’a will take up to four weeks and the goal is to get everyone to take the meds to lessen their chances of reinfection.
Lawmakers and directors have been invited to take their filariasis medication at the Lee Auditorium.
DOH will move out to other ASG agencies, private businesses and schools in the next few weeks.
Special teams will also be going to villages with the help of the office of Samoan Affairs coordinating with pulenu’u to distribute medication.
