Tripura malaria outbreak – 31 children, 10 adults dead

The death toll in recent malaria outbreak in the state of Tripura has gone up to 41, including 31 kids and 10 adults. More than 22,000 people have fallen ill due to the sudden outbreak of malaria in t

By: Editorial Team | | Updated: June 23, 2014 12:59 pm

The death toll in recent malaria outbreak in the state of Tripura has gone up to 41, including 31 kids and 10 adults. More than 22,000 people have fallen ill due to the sudden outbreak of malaria in the hilly areas of Tripura dominated by the tribal. These regions include the districts of Gomti, South Tripura, Dhalai, North Tripura and Khowai. Also Read - Ganesh Chaturthi 2020: 4 reasons an eco-friendly Ganesha is good for you

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Badal Choudhury, Health and Family Welfare Minister of Tripura said to the reporters, ‘ Around 41 people have died due to malaria that includes 31 children and more than 22,000 people have fallen ill to this disease since the first week of this month. Of the 22,000 ill patients, malaria parasite has been detected in the blood samples of around 3, 215 individuals. (Read: All you need to know about malaria) Also Read - Health Minister of Tripura urges to make the State measles-rubella free

The deaths in a malaria outbreak in Tripura have risen to 41, including 31 children, a minister said here Sunday. Over 22,000 people have fallen ill in the tribal-dominated mountainous areas of Dhalai, Gomti, Khowai, North Tripura and South Tripura districts. “At least 41 people, including 31 children, have died and more than 22,000 others have fallen ill since the first week of this month. Of the 22,000 ill people, malaria germ was found in the blood of 3,215 of them,” Tripura Health and Family Welfare Minister Badal Choudhury told reporters.

All the affected people have been admitted to various government hospitals in five districts, he said. However, sources in the health department said the unofficial tally stands at more than 60 dead and 30,000 ill. A team of malaria experts from the union health and family welfare ministry led by Awadesh Kumar arrived here Sunday to supervise the situation and advise the state government on how to deal with the outbreak. (Read: New, more effective treatment for Malaria soon)

The union ministry will this week send another four-member expert team, led by the regional director for malaria, Satyajit Sen, to study the outbreak of malaria in the state, Choudhury said. The minister along with medical experts has visited the malaria-affected areas several times. “Several medical teams are working in the disease-affected areas. SOS has been sent to Tripura officials in Guwahati, Kolkata and Delhi to urgently send adequate quantities of medicines,” he said.

Chief Minister Manik Sarkar Saturday at a series of meetings with doctors, officials and ministers reviewed the situation. He asked his ministers to rush to the malaria-hit areas and stay there till the situation improves. Leave of all doctors, nurses and health workers has been cancelled. Health officials and field workers are visiting remote villages and making arrangements to bring the malaria-affected people to government hospitals, Choudhury said. A helicopter is on standby to ferry doctors and patients in an emergency. (Read: How body’s immune system fights off malaria)

A health department official said that at least 50 health workers, including 26 ASHA (accredited social health activists), 13 ICDS (integrated child development services) and three multi-purpose workers, have been either suspended or will face action for negligence in work. Experts have advised the government to use second-generation medicines instead of traditional ones to prevent malaria deaths. All the eight northeastern states besides West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka are highly malaria prone where several hundred of people die every year due to the disease.

10 natural ways to keep your home mosquito-free

Malaria is a serious disease that can kill people if it is not diagnosed and treated quickly, particularly pregnant women, babies, young children and the elderly. While today, the condition is usually treated before its complications set in, there are still deaths due to this disease. Being highly preventable, it is clear that awareness about the disease, it types, treatments and methods to prevent the disease are the need of the hour.

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Eucalyptus and lemon oil: Recommended by the CDC (Center for Disease Control) as an effective insect-repellent the mixture of lemon oil and eucalyptus oil is extremely effective in repelling mosquitoes naturally.

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With inputs from IANS

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Published : June 22, 2014 4:14 pm | Updated:June 23, 2014 12:59 pm

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