The Times of India News Service
Original
HEADLINE:
Hazaribagh still in grip of malaria epidemic
DATELINE: 4 December 1999
BYLINE: The Times of India News Service
HAZARIBAGH: Despite claims by the district administration that malaria, which broke out in edpidemic form in more than 2000 villages of 14 blocks of Hazaribagh district, had been controlled, an investigation done found that the epidemic was yet to be controlled and more than
1500 fresh cases are still pouring in at various camps and
hospitals of the district.
Even in Hazaribagh town, there have been reports of
malaria cases pouring in at the various nursing homes and
clinics run by private doctors.
These fresh arrivals have disproved the claims of the district
administrtion. Dr R N Sahay in an interview with this
correspondent, said that from the 31,000 patients suffering
from malaria, 25,000 blood slides have been collected by
technicians at various points. About 11,529 slides were
examined, of which 1618 cases were found to be positive
out of which only 1529 patients have been treated. The
patients who succumbed included a doctor who was in
charge of a camp in kerdari block.
When his attention was drawn towards the reports
submitted by various political parties and NGOs at a
meeting addressed by Mr Shyam Rajak, the Bihar minister
of state for energy who is also the minister incharge of
Hazaribagh district that the claims of the district
administration was wrong and more than 90,000 patients
were suffering from malaria and more than 300 patients
have so far died, Dr R N Sahay alleged tthat the claims
were wrong, adding AIDS and Hepatitis B deaths in the
district have also been included in the list of malaria deaths
for fear of creating panic. Interestingly, this admission of the
district administration not being able to control AIDS and Hepatitis B cases have been an eye opener.
But the civil surgeon admitted that the malaria epidemic
broke out in the district in an epidemic form mainly due to gross negligence on the part of district malaria officer who
inspite of availabilitty of anti-malaria drugs and DDT
sufficient at her disposal, did not take tangible steps to distribute the same in the malaria infested areas of the
district.
The civil surgeon said that the district administration swung into action only when they received reports of large-scale
deaths in Giddi colliery of CCL in Churchu block and in
Chouparan. He said that in Hazaribagh disrict in all 21
camps are functioning for treating the malaria patients and providing them on-the-spot treatment.
The worst affected areas are Churchu, Patratu, Gola,
Chouparan, Ramgarh, Barkatha, Barkagaon and Keredari
blocks of the district. A high-level medical team headed by an senior doctor from Delhi visited the affected areas and
confirmed that in Hazaribagh disrict most of cases found
were suffering from either cerebral malaria or malignant
malaria.
More about malaria in India
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