WHO alerts Adilabad

The World Health Organization (WHO) has alerted the district administration through Government of India to take early preventive measures to check the spread of malaria in the district, in the wake of last year’s experience.

According to official sources, 9,965 malaria positive cases of malaria , including 8,990 Plasmodium Falciparum were detected and the ITDA declared 69 deaths due to malaria in the last year and all the victims were Adivasis.

The medical department has screened 1, 06,142 people last year in the district.  

Authorities of National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), Government of India alerted the district administration to check for malaria cases.

The number of malaria positive cases reported from the district last year was alarming as it is the highest recorded in a particular place in the Asian continent.

District Malaria officer Alham Ravi said they will launch mass screening of population in 599 villages in five high-risk Jainoor, Sirpur( U), Narnoor, Indravelli and Utnoor which are malaria prone mandals. Official identified 812 high- risk villages in the entire district.

Meanwhile, it is feared that the number of high- risk villages may rise to 1,350 – 1,500 this year. The aim of the mass screening programme is to detect the malaria positive cases, if any, to take preventive measures well in advance, before the onset of monsoon, and to avoid a possible outbreak of an epidemic.

Sources said, two malaria positive cases were detected one each in Narnoor and Jainoor mandals when tests were conducted in six villages last month and this indicates that the situation might be riskier in the rainy season.

Project officer, ITDA, Utnoor R.V. Karnan has recently written a letter to the principal secretary, Health department Rajeshwar Tiwari explaining the existing  situation, past experiences and sought the supply of drugs, insecticides required and wages to workers to spray insecticides to kill the larvae of the mosquitoes before the onset of the rainy season. He also asked for a supply of mosquito nets to distribute among the Adivasis.          

As part of the mass screening programme, malaria officials and staff will collect blood samples in six identified villages in Narnoor, Jainoor and Sirpur (U) mandals  where a high number of positive malaria cases were reported last year.

The screening is aimed at confirming if people have malaria parasite in their body even before the onset of the monsoon or if they are just being affected only during the rainy season.

Malaria officers of five districts and the state director of NVBDCP Dr Prabhavathi and Zonal Malaria officer Dr Jayasri, Additional DMHO Prabhakar Reddy will monitor the screening of blood samples to be taken up in six villages in five high-risk mandals in Utnoor division.