Panvel Civic Body Begins Night Blood Screening Drive for Filariasis
The Panvel Municipal Corporation has launched a special health drive in Panvel to screen migrant workers for lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis, under the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme.
As part of the initiative, health teams are collecting night blood samples from migrant populations residing in identified high-risk zones across the civic limits. The testing is scheduled after 8 pm, during the period when microfilariae parasites are most active and likely to be detected in the human bloodstream.
Panvel Municipal Commissioner Mangesh Chitale has issued directives to medical officers, health workers, and administrative departments to ensure the thorough execution of the screening campaign. The civic administration has mapped vulnerable locations under all 26 Urban Primary Health Centres across its jurisdiction to conduct the sample collection in a structured, block-wise manner.
According to Chief Medical Officer Dr Anand Gosavi, health authorities have prioritised areas that have historically recorded a higher incidence of elephantiasis and hydrocele. The mapping also covers slum clusters, informal settlements with significant migrant populations, and other vulnerable residential pockets within the civic limits.
All collected blood samples are being dispatched to laboratories for testing, and the civic body is maintaining updated records of the participants. In cases where an individual tests positive for microfilariae, the health department will initiate medical treatment immediately. Health workers have been tasked with following up with positive patients to track their progress until the entire course of medication is completed.
Alongside the diagnostic testing, the Panvel civic health department is running awareness initiatives to educate migrant workers on the causes and prevention of filariasis. Information, education, and communication activities are being carried out to encourage residents to participate in the blood testing and complete prescribed medical courses, alongside standard routine filariasis-control measures.
The civic body has urged eligible migrant workers across the city to cooperate with medical teams and participate in the testing drive to help contain and eliminate the disease.
