BALASORE: The district health administration on Wednesday launched Nidhi Rath to spread awareness on malaria, which continues to pose serious threat to public health in Balasore district with high percentage prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum. The Rath will cover Nilagiri, Khaira and Oupada blocks and create public awareness through plays and audio-visual campaigns. Official sources said while 15 persons had succumbed to the disease and 5,363 more affected in the last three years, unofficial reports put the toll over 50. According to the district malaria control wing, 2,022 people tested positive in 2008-09 and among them seven had died. Similarly, in 2009-10 and 2010-11, four persons each had died while around 1,692 and 1,649 persons tested for the Plasmodium species respectively.Absence of required number of health workers, awareness and negligence on the part of patients have led to the alarming situation. Retrospective epidemiological study done by the wing indicates that malaria is endemic in Berhampur, Iswarpur and Khaira areas in the district. In other areas, the cases of Plasmodium vivax are higher than Plasmodium falciparum. The major setback associated with the disease is late diagnosis since symptoms go unnoticed in the first few hours. Health experts say on timely detection, the disease is curable in 48 hours.Even as cases of malaria are on the rise, District Malaria Officer (DMO) Deepak Dasmohapatra claims that the annual parasite index which was one in 2007-08, has come down to 0.5. “We are fully aware of the situation. While all Asha workers have been provided with malaria kits in the endemic areas and long lasting insecticidal nets are being distributed among the people. Regular awareness programmes are also conducted to make people aware of the know-how to prevent the vector-borne disease,” he said. Dasmohapatra said steps had been taken to make the malaria eradication movement more vibrant. “We have sent a proposal to the World Bank to include the district in their National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) which the officials have agreed,” he said.Under the NVBDCP, the district will get financial assistance from the World Bank to eradicate vector-borne diseases like dengue, malaria, filarial and chikungunya.Plasmodium falciparum is the deadliest of the five Plasmodium species that causes human malaria.
Comments
0 comment