PURVI RADIA
PANAJI: According to the research carried out by the National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR), Field Station Goa, Campal- Panaji, 9,755 cases of malaria were reported in 2007 and about 9,822 cases in 2008, while in the year 2009 there has been a drastic fall in the number of cases to 5,055.
The deputy director/scientist-e, officer-in-charge, NIMR, DHR, Dr Ashwani Kumar informed that the health department has been doing extremely good job in the recent years and as a result malaria cases were reduced by 48 per cent in 2009 and this saw its effect in first 4 months of 2010, with the cases coming down drastically.
“Credit goes to the health officers for doing an excellent job,” Dr Kumar added.
The Directorate of Health Services (DHS), Campal, has decided to go to the grass-root level for conducting orientation programmes and the block-level committees formed will come into action on April 26. A programme-related to the World Malaria Day on April 26 will be held at the conference hall of the Health Services building wherein Mr Amit Dias would deliver a speech, informed Dr Deepak Kabadi, deputy director of National Vector Borne Diseases Control Programme, DHS.
According to the DHS, day-to-day surveillance is made to test blood samples of the ill patients near the construction sites; in cases of labourers refraining from scanning themselves for the health card, the contractors are fined under the Public Health Act to the tune of Rs 1,000 per person; also fogging is carried out to prevent the growth of the larvae and larvicidal fish that eat larvae of the mosquitoes are introduced in the water bodies to stop the growth of the mosquitoes.
Dr Kumar, commenting on the research carried out by NIMR, said that it falls under the category of vector (mosquitoes that spread malaria) control, and dealt with the insecticide evaluation for mosquito control, isolation, characterization and testing of biolarvicides like bacillus sphaericus and bacillus thuringiensis, identification and field evaluation of larvivorous fishes, and field evaluation of insect growth regulators (these are insect hormones which don’t allow larval development leading to their death).
“The drug trials were carried out. Under this, the NIMR in collaboration with Health Services studied level of resistance to commonly used anti-malarial drugs like chloroquine in both malaria parasites prevalent in Goa i.e. Plasmodium Falciparum and Plasmodium Vivax,” he added.
“Under the Bio-environmental Control of Malaria, NIMR has demonstrated that malaria can be effectively controlled by bio-environmental methods in Panaji (1989-92) and Candolim PHC (1994-95). Malaria was reduced in these places to the extent of 92 per cent and 80 per cent respectively. Currently NIMR is supporting efforts of State Health Services to eliminate malaria in Goa,” observed Dr Kumar.
The main contributory factors are developmental activities, he said adding “continued water stagnations promote mosquito breeding, also migrant workers residing close to the breeding grounds of mosquitoes act as source of infection — efficient mosquito vector of disease, Anopheles Stephensi transmits malaria from malaria patients to a healthy individual in and around construction sites. The ambient weather conditions in Goa are suitable for near perennial transmission of malaria.”
“The main solution on one hand is effective treatment of all breeding grounds of mosquitoes, making mandatory use of long lasting insecticide nets (LLINs) among migrant workers engaged both in construction industry and hospitality industry while on the other it is early detection and prompt and complete treatment,” said Dr Kumar.
Major organisations like Builder’s Association, Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industries (GCCI), Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), Mineral Foundation of Goa (MFG) and industry as part of corporate social responsibility must support the effort of Goa government and NIMR to eliminate malaria from Goa, he added.
The DHS informed that the major areas affected under this disease are Panaji, Caranzalem, Dona Paula, Candolim-Calangute belt, Margao, Porvorim, Chicalim and Dabolim.
“People are generally aware about malaria. But they tend to co-operate with authorities when there is outbreak or epidemic and their response is lukewarm when malaria incidence goes down. For this behavioural change communication (BCC) is a must. Presently Health Department has engaged Voluntary Health Association of Goa for this purpose,” Dr Kumar remarked.
