Community empowerment in the control of lymphatic filariasis in Misima, Milne Bay Province using diethylcarbamazine in combination with albendazole.

We report the successful implementation of a community-based lymphatic filariasis control program using annual single-dose treatment with diethylcarbamazine (DEC) in combination with albendazole. The target population included over 28,000 people in the Samarai Murua District, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. A community-based delivery model was as effective as the standard health services delivery model. The number of people tested in 1998 before mass drug administration (MDA) and in 1999, one year after treatment, were 1644 and 942 respectively; the number who received mass treatment was 29,883 in 1998 and 28,965 in 1999. The prevalence of antigenaemia decreased significantly from 19% to 12%. The cost of running the program also decreased by 50%. The total number of trained health staff required to conduct the MDA program declined from 62 in 1998 to 12 in 1999, a reduction of 81%, with a cost saving in salary and allowances. A salient organizational initiative that surfaced was the use of local expertise in the private sector as a catalyst for obtaining funds from external sources to manage and facilitate the program which was conducted with locally available resources.