The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Seasonal diseases on the rise

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Saturday, Aug 18, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Seasonal diseases on the rise

S. Harpal Singh

25 to 30 per cent reporting sick are down with malaria

Officials put number of malaria positive cases at 248
Only relapse of chikungunya are reported this year

ENDLESS SUFFERING: A cerebral malaria patient at a private nursing home in Adilabad.

ADILABAD: Though the occurrence of diarrhoea seems to be on the wane in Adilabad district, it still may not be time to relax considering the rise in seasonal diseases like malaria, cerebral malaria and the debilitating chikungunya. An estimated 25 to 30 per cent of those reporting sick with seasonal diseases are down with malaria and cerebral malaria and about five per cent are suffering from chikungunya.

Officials put the number of malaria positive cases at 248 and another five tested positive for dengue in addition to the 576 cases of diarrhoea. There were no cases of cerebral malaria reported so far, according to officials concerned.

Cases reported

One case of cerebral malaria was reported from a private nursing home on Friday which made officials scurry to the place.

Private doctors maintain that though malaria is rampant there is a marked increase in number of patients down with cerebral malaria. Dr. M. Dattu Indian Medical Association’s (IMA) Adilabad branch president referred to the increasing occurrence of the more dangerous malaria falciparum among patients arriving with high fevers.

He said most of the patients reporting sick due to such malaria were not responding to chloroquine drug.

Chloroquine

“In rural areas, the quacks have always resorted to sub therapeutic use of chloroquine which makes patients develop immunity to the drug.

Such patients do not respond to chloroquine when needed.

These cases turn out to be the most difficult ones,” explained the IMA president.

As regards to chikungunya, the medical fraternity is of the opinion that only ‘relapse’ cases are being reported this year.

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