Nationwide support has seen a large number of children taking lymphatic filariasis drugs during the drive for the mass administration starting from 16 September in a bid to eliminate the disease.  

Staff from the Ministry of Health (M.O.H.) were allocated across churches on Sunday as well as supermarkets and hospitals for the administration of the drugs with one of them who did not want to be named due to work policies, saying the staff were impressed with the large number of children being brought in by their parents to take their drugs.

"It's great news because it's only day two and we've seen an exciting number of children being brought in by their parents to take their drugs. Some parents who just found out about the campaign and how useful it is, even went back home and brought their kids with them," she said.

"There were some kids between the ages of two to four years yesterday that have taken the drugs and some a bit older, and it's inspiring to see because it's very difficult to take any drug at this age but seeing the parents' persistence to have their kids take it was really nice."

The administration of the drugs in churches, villages and individual families in Upolu and Savaii were also believed to be successful on Sunday with a number of churchgoers taking their drugs without force.

A mother of four, Tutaima Suitulaga said the campaign is useful for her children in the future as well as her and her family. She took two of her daughters to the Farmer Joe site in Vaitele to take their drugs.

"It's very important because we don't know what will happen in the future and my family may not have it now but it can happen in the future so this is a really great initiative," she told this newspaper.

The Ministry's countrywide drive is part of their ongoing efforts to eliminate lymphatic filariasis as a public health threat in Samoa. Lymphatic filariasis or elephantiasis causes the thickening of the limbs and the toughening of the skin. The disease continues to be diagnosed in Samoa and the only way to combat it is through mass drug administration.

Earlier last month, representatives from the Ministry conducted mass drug administration community training for communities from Aleipata Itupa i Luga and Aleipata Itupa i Lalo districts to assist with the drug administrations in September.

Meanwhile, the disease – which was the subject of a nationwide medical intervention in 2018 – can “lead to the abnormal enlargement of body parts, causing pain, severe disability and social stigma", according to the World Health Organisation. The researchers were ultimately left without a conclusive explanation for the persistence of the disease. 

Researchers from M.O.H and universities in Australia surveyed nearly 4000 people across Samoa and found 18 people with microfilaria in their blood, 14 of whom said they took a triple drug regimen designed to cure them. Microfilaria is an early stage of the parasite that is passed on to humans by mosquitoes.

The survey identified 28 children between 5 and 9 years old who had lymphatic filariasis antigens in their blood and one with microfilaria as well as 94 people over 10 years old with antigens. The participants were from 30 randomly selected villages and five intentionally selected villages based on previous research (Fasitoo-tai, Faleasiu, Laulii, Salua on Manono and Salelologa).

Lymphatic filariasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by an infection of worms carried by mosquitoes, and long-term infection causes permanent swelling to the limbs called elephantiasis. It is known as mumu tutupa in Samoan and is endemic to Samoa. 

In 2018, Samoa was the first country in the world to deliver a triple-drug therapy programme to the population, in a bid to stamp out the disease, which does not always display symptoms. The dosage of three separate drugs was calculated according to the patient’s body weight. For those who do see symptoms, they suffer painful and disfiguring burdens that can spill over into mental health problems and socio-economic issues too.

In 2011, researchers found hotspots in Fasitoo-tai, Falefa, and Siufaga. A survey of 3852 participants – whose blood samples were tested for lymphatic filariasis in the months immediately following the 2018 mass therapy programme (in order to gather baseline data for the 2018 programme) – found that despite decades worth of effort to eradicate the disease it remains in the community.