Deaths in Mangaluru of patients suffering from Plasmodium vivax strain of malaria — which was till recently considered a “less fatal” strain — has been a cause of concern for the health authorities here.
Even as the district death audit committee has said the fatality was owing to “related factors” and not malaria alone, these 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 been less 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.
With 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.
According to sources, this year till June, although 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. “We need to now look at modifying the treatment regime,” a senior district health official said.
Meanwhile, 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 Hindu that the State had not yet got any communication from the Centre.
“However, we are providing a regular feedback to the Centre on malaria cases and deaths in the State. Any new strategies or tools have to be developed by the Centre,” he said.
