Dimapur, April 25 (MExN): Various initiatives are being undertaken by the government to curb the threat of malaria in Nagaland, but doctors say the disease is still “rampant”. With the onset of monsoon, the disease is likely to aggravate.
Dr Zuben Kikon, District Malaria Officer of Wokha says the “peak” of malaria is between the months of March and July, adding, around 150 malaria cases have been officially diagnosed around Wokha district this year. However, he says that the mortality and morbidity rate of malaria cases have gone down drastically in the state in the last five years because of increased activities in prevention and control of malaria by the government as well as the community. While mentioning that malaria is prevalent in the foothills because of its proximity to Assam and mobility of labourers, he says, “We still have to do something in the foothills.”
In Nagaland, lack of sanitation, stagnant drainages, water tanks, paddy fields etc become good breeding ground for mosquitoes thereby increasing the spread of the disease, doctors say. In the rural areas, it is mainly because of exposure to risk factors like hunting and farming in the rain and also sleeping in the jungles without proper gear where chances of mosquito bites are high.
Another doctor, Zubon Humtsoe, who runs a private clinic in Wokha says cases of malaria are “very high”. He had about 1500 confirmed malaria patients in 2012, mostly from rural areas. He adds cerebral malaria, the most serious and life-threatening form of malaria which affects the brain is also very common among the rural people because of late diagnosis and delayed treatment. However, he says the number of malaria cases is comparatively low this year. He thinks it may be because of the government’s effort to uplift living standards of rural people by providing proper sanitation, hygiene, and several livelihood schemes. “Not many people toil in the fields these days.”
According to the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), around 1.5 million confirmed malaria cases are reported annually in India, of which 40 – 50 per cent is due to Plasmodium falciparum, a protozoan parasite. Instituted by WHO to provide an occasion to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for malaria prevention and control, the world celebrates World Malaria Day, today with the theme, “Invest in the future. Defeat Malaria”. Meanwhile, a doctor in Dimapur attributes the intensity of the disease to people preferring “local healers” instead of consulting doctors when they have symptoms of malaria, while stating malaria is “pretty rampant” and jaundice is one of the most common symptoms in Nagaland. He adds that clogging of drainages leading to improper sanitation is an issue in the city.
