Raisuan: The government’s much hyped malaria eradication programme has turned into a farce with the disease showing no signs of let-up in Keonjhar district, which is surrounded by hills and forests, a report said Monday.
The disease is spreading its tentacles in the district despite the Centre and the state governmentspending over crores of rupees towards its eradication.
Sources said the Keonjhar district where the majority of populations live in villages was adjudged first in malaria related deaths in 2000-2001.
According to available reports, over 3 lakh people were afflicted with malaria in the last 10 years, while 100 affected persons succumbed to the disease. Among the affected persons, 2,85,322 were affected with plasmodium falciparum (PF) malaria or cerebral malaria.
Expressing concern over the situation, the state government and Centre have launched a host of schemes like distribution of medicated bed nets, sprinkling of DDT powders, free malaria treatment and medicines to the affected people to tackle the menace.
The reports says, 30021 persons in 2007, 29934 in 2008, 35270 in 2009, 30582 in 2010, 20202 in 2011, 21077 in 2012, 17134 in 2013, 27822 in 2014, 28158 in 2015, 37840 in 2016, 31888 in 2017 have been affected with the disease.
However despite spending crores of rupees there is not let up in the spread of the disease with the number of malaria patients witnessing a sharp rise every year.
The disease is mostly seen spreading during summer and rainy seasons. Earlier, simple medicines used to prove effective in curing the disease but nowadays the cost of treatment has gone up with costly medicines and injections being required to cure the disease.
When contacted, a doctor at the local hospital said on condition of anonymity said that the medicines available in the government health centres are not of good quality which has failed to check the spread of the disease. He said the medicine quality should be verified before being supplied to the health centres.
Moreover, the awareness programme conducted the by the health department are often irregular which has failed to sensitise the residents mostly in rural areas on taking precautionary measures for the disease. As a result, the disease is spreading fast instead of getting eradicated from the district, he added.
Locals have demanded before the district administration and the district health department to take urgent steps to combat the disease.
PNN
