Mangaluru: The year 2014 was apparently a good year for mosquitoes in Dakshina Kannada as compared to Udupi Dist. There were 8240 reported cases of malaria in DK as compared to 1639 in Udupi. Of these Mangaluru alone contributed 7,313 cases in the year 2014. Malaria cases in Udupi District stood at 1,639. This information came from the Joint Director (Malaria and Filaria), Dr B G Prakash during the Malaria Co-ordination Committee meeting convened here on Thursday, January 22.
Apparently the number of cases have gone up rather than come down, since 2013. Dr Prakash said, 5,660 cases were reported in DK in 2013 and Udupi recorded 2,205 cases. The epidemiological study also highlighted that malaria cases (88 %)in urban area was more when compared to the cases (12 %) in rural areas, he added.
This spurt in the number of cases, has rung alarm bells among health officials especially as their best efforts have not been able to arrest the slide. He stressed the need for various departments as well general public to join hands to reduce malaria morbidity rate.
Major contributors
It is clear that the urban areas are the major contributor of malaria cases, but how? It has come to light that the migrant labor who majorly work in the construction and the hotel industry, especially from malaria prone regions such as Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura and Orissa are a major cause of concern.
Though mobile units have been conducting periodical tests in construction sites, not all laborers participate in the test, Dr Prakash said. On the other hand, Social worker Suresh Shetty alleged that the builders are not serious of making such testing mandatory for their migrant labour. “There have been instances when the builders have shunned the health officials when they came to the sites to conduct tests,” he said.
Dakshina Kannada District Deputy Commissioner A B Ibrahim, endorsed these views. “The builders have become complacent. They are not able to understand the seriousness of the problem. The Mangalore City Corporation should consider suspending the license of builders as a disciplinary action for not abiding by the orders to conduct tests,” the DC advised.
Action plan
The DC, outlining an action plan, said, “Within ten days a meeting with all the departmental officials will be conducted to discuss the effective way in which malaria eradication programme can be implemented”.
Mangaluru City Commissioner Hephsiba Rani Korlapatti said, “within a fortnight the corporation would make a comprehensive effort to organise workshops and awareness in co-ordination with the health department.”
District Health Officer Dr Ramakrishna, District Wenlock Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Rajeshwari Devi were present.
