At least 3,500 cases of deadly plasmodium falciparum (PF) malaria were detected in the past 20 days in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. The cases were detected by the intensive "active case surveillance" by 400 teams of auxiliary midwives (ANMs) who found out patients suffering from the "killer" malaria strain.
With the recent cases, the cumulative figure of PF cases in Bareilly between January 1 to September 9 stands at 4,207. During the same period, 21,887 people have been tested positive for plasmodium vivax (PV) malaria strain, a TOI report said.
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), malaria is spread through bite of Anopheles mosquitoes. Symptoms usually appear in 10-15 days in a non-immune person after the infective mosquito bite.
The initial symptoms are fever, headache, and chills which is accompanied by sweats, headaches, body aches, general malaise, nausea as well as vomiting.
Symptoms of severe malaria include acute kidney failure, hypoglycemia and neurologic issues. The disease could also lead to haemoglobinuria, which damages the red blood cells. Acute respiratory distress syndrome could also occur, making it difficult to breathe.
“Cases of PF malaria have risen in the past few days because we’ve been conducting massive active case surveillance, in which teams are holding camps in villages and testing fever patients. If any person tests positive for either PF or PV malaria, we immediately begin their treatment. Our aim is to end the parasite by diagnosing all cases,” Chief medical officer (CMO) Dr. Vineet Shukla was quoted as saying by TOI.
District malaria officer D R Singh told the daily, “Around 95 percent of total PF malaria cases were reported from Aonla sub-division, which includes Majhgavan, Bhamora, Ramnagar and Aonla health centres. The geographical area of PF cases has shrunk in comparison to last year. Majority of the cases are confined to Aonla sub-division. For instance, over 150 PF cases were reported from Meerganj in 2018, but this year, the number is 23.”
Of the total 4,207 PF malaria cases so far this year, the maximum has been detected in Majhgavan, with 1,727, followed by Bhamora with 1,662, the report said.
Cases of PV malaria have been scattered across the district with the highest number diagnosed in Majhgavan and Bhamora.
With malaria and fever cases rising rampantly in Bareilly, extra beds have been deployed at the district hospital. Officials said they have arranged few beds in the old building of district women’s hospital, which will soon be opened for malaria patients, reported TOI.
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