DK district death audit committee fears peripheral strain of malaria now

DK district death audit committee fears peripheral strain of malaria now

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Aug 8, 2015 :  Even as the DK district death audit committee stated the fatality was owing to peripheral causes and not malaria alone,  deaths gain significance in the light of World Health Organization (WHO) coming out with a report expressing the need for new tools for control and elimination of P. vivax malaria parasite as conventional methods have not been effective.

WHO’s report on ‘Control and elimination of Plasmodium vivax malaria’ was released in the last week of July.

P. vivax and P. falciparum are the two malarial parasite variants prevalent in Dakshina Kannada. Of the two, P. falciparum variant has been considered a virulent parasite. These two parasites are transmitted by anopheles mosquito that breeds in fresh water sources.

Death of eight persons who were found positive for P. vivax malaria being reported in the district, doctors have expressed concern. These eight were among the 31 deaths of persons who had tested positive for malaria last year. The State health officials, however, claimed that these deaths were owing to related ailments and not malaria alone.

Sources say  till June 2015, four of the seven persons who succumbed to the vector-borne disease in the district had tested positive for P. vivax, the district death audit did not confirm it. To now look at modifying the treatment regime is a must said a senior district health official.

The WHO’s report advising governments to develop new tools to tackle P. vivax malaria is yet to be disseminated to the State governments. State Joint Director B.G. Prakash told the media that the State had not yet got any communication from the Centre as yet but steps are being contemplated.