Lucknow: With the next round of mass drug administration (MDA) against filariasis scheduled from Nov 19 to Dec 7, the UP health department is stepping up efforts to reach people who have never taken anti-filarial medication, focusing on awareness and behavioural change, officials said here on Thursday.The campaign will cover 53 planning units across 16 districts, with ASHA workers conducting door-to-door visits to identify people who have consistently remained outside previous rounds.“As part of this revised plan, health workers are asking family members about their medication history. Alongside, members of the Patient Stakeholder Platform (PSP) are using street plays to dispel misconceptions about the disease and the need for preventive medication,” they said, adding that many people skip the medication because they feel healthy, are unaware of the long-term complications of filariasis or fear possible side effects.The outreach has begun yielding results in Kanpur Nagar and Sitapur. Following street plays in six villages of Bidhnu block in Kanpur Nagar last week, several residents who had never taken the medication agreed to participate in the upcoming campaign. Ramshri, a resident of Ramaipur village, said the performance helped her understand the importance of the medication and that she would encourage her family and neighbours to take it. Shanti of Magrasa, who had earlier experienced nausea and dizziness after taking the drugs, also agreed to participate after her concerns were addressed.Similarly, residents of Sitapur’s Parsendi block said they had previously seen little reason to take the medication in the absence of symptoms but now understood its preventive role.State filaria officer Dr A K Chaudhary said: “Preparations were complete and medicines had reached all 16 districts. Training of officials from the education departments and the Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission had also been completed to improve coordination, while training with the Panchayati Raj department was scheduled this week.” The target is to ensure that more than 90% of the population in each planning unit consumes the medication under direct supervision.Officials said the campaign would prioritise identifying people who had never taken the drugs or had previously refused them, while ensuring eligibility and follow-up of those missed. The drive will cover Kanpur Nagar, Unnao, Kanpur Dehat, Chitrakoot, Sitapur, Shahjahanpur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Shravasti, Prayagraj, Gonda, Hardoi, Kannauj, Ballia, Farrukhabad, Fatehpur and Kaushambi.