Abstract

Background: Evaluation of mass drug administration (MDA) is done internally by the health authorities and externally by independent agencies. This paper reports the findings of evaluation of MDA conducted independently for Government of India in Yadgir district of Karnataka state in February 2011 by the authors.
Objective: To assess the Coverage & Compliance rates of MDA against lymphatic filariasis and to study the factors influencing non-coverage and non-compliance in Yadgir district.
Materials and Methods: A Community based cross-sectional study was conducted in three randomly selected villages and one urban ward. The data was collected in a pre-designed semi- structured proforma from 200 households. Pregnant women, children <2 years and severely ill were excluded from the study.
Results: 1026 eligible population were studied and 51.07% of them were males. The Diethylcarbamazine citrate plus Albendazole coverage rate was 97.36% and the compliance rate was 77.77%. The major reason for non–compliance was due to fear of side effects amounting to 58%. Only 4 persons reported adverse effects after drug consumption. Conclusion: A high level of motivation and commitment from the drug distributors with adequate training is required for ensuring a high coverage and compliance rates.