The Hindu : Karnataka / Mangalore News : Five free malaria testing centres opened

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 08, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Mangalore

Five free malaria testing centres opened

By Our Staff Correspondent

MANGALORE, APRIL 7. The Mangalore City Corporation has launched the malaria eradication programme even before the onset of the monsoon, known to be the "malaria season."

As a first step towards the effective control of malaria, the corporation has opened five free malaria testing centres at the corporation office at Lalbagh, the corporation clinics at Bejai and Jeppu, the Unani hospital at Bunder, and the Pentagon Hotel building at Mahaveera Circle.

Speaking to The Hindu , the coordinator of the corporation's malaria cell, Sureshchandra Bolar, said that the monsoon usually brings with it a spate of cases. During May, June and July, the number of malaria cases crosses 3,000. Quoting statistics, Mr. Bolar said that in January 1,104 cases were reported and in February the number went up to 1,108. In March, the number of reported cases was 935, as against 627 reported last year.

Process tightened

The corporation has tightened the process of reporting the cases from private hospitals and labs. Mr. Bolar said that last year the corporation had requested the District Magistrate to issue orders to all the hospitals in the city to send the number of reported cases to the cell.

Mr. Bolar said that the main source of malaria is construction sites, where migrant labour from highly endemic areas such as Bellary, Bidar, and Gulburga are employed. Many of these workers are already infected and the parasite is present in their bodies. Since they do not take adequate medicines, they are vulnerable a relapse once in 15 days. Most of them also live on the construction site, where mosquitoes breed.

Vicious circle

Mr. Bolar said that the problem had become a vicious circle. He said that the cell was more or less able to identify the infected workers and has directed the contractors to give adequate protection to them so that they are not re-infected. It has also started putting up pictorial malaria awareness material at the construction sites.

The cell has been able to enthuse a local drug manufacturer to produce low-cost mosquito repellent called K-Ot. This was earlier available in liquid form. He said that it has now been brought out in the form of dispersible tablets that can be diluted in two litres of water. The solution can be used to spray mosquito nets for three months. The cell has advised contractors and builders to provide nets to all the labourers who sleep on the premises. It has also directed them to change the water that is used to cure concrete slabs every sixth day to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes.

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