From 3 to 15 October, the New Caledonia Department of Health and Social Affairs will offer triple therapy to the entire population of Ouvéa. The goal is to eradicate this serious parasitic disease, caused by a worm and transmitted by the mosquito, in the long term. Several cases were detected in Ouvéa in 2018.
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Posted September 14, 2022 at 3:33 pm,
updated September 14, 2022 at 4:55 pm
Infected people take several years to develop symptoms which are then irreversible. Among the sequelae, swelling of the limbs or damage to the lungs.
The worms deposited by the mosquito infect the tissues
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To eradicate this disease, the health authorities want to administer a treatment consisting of three drugs on the spot.
It is a triple therapy, three pesticides to be taken at the same time and which are commonly used to treat different parasites.
This was added by Anne Pfannstiel, prevention doctor at DASS “These are standard treatments that give few side effects. It is a treatment that is performed in one dose, once a year, two years in a row. Then we run a new study two after the last dose to see if we still have traffic at Ouvea “.
To raise awareness among the local population, the health authorities have launched various actions in recent months. Ambassadors have been established to inform residents about the risks and ways of transmission of heartworm disease. Marie-Rose Waia is the director of community and health action for the province of the islands. She is optimistic at this stage of the treatment : “We have trained our ambassadors. They are people who live in tribes and already, at their level, in the family circle and in the tribal circle, they have already disseminated the information.”
Overall there is good adhesion. Let’s see the result of the meetings we held in the tribes with the area councils in order to provide information.
Currently, filariasis is still present in 73 countries. It has recently been officially eradicated in Wallis and Futuna. And if the eradication of this parasitic disease requires this treatment, it is all the more necessary to raise awareness and inform the inhabitants.
Listen to Noémie Beaufils, DASS communications officer, on Valentin Deleforterie’s microphone :
Filariasis, Ouvea, treatment, DASS, Noémie Beaufils
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See this report by Brigitte Whaap and Lina Waka-Ceou :
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