Time to put mosquito net to proper use

Visakhapatnam district’s Agency area is considered one of the endemic areas as far as malaria is concerned

June is the month when all over the country malaria prevention campaign is taken up since the onset of monsoon heralds the outbreak of malaria if precautions are not taken.

Visakhapatnam district’s Agency area is considered one of the endemic areas as far as malaria is concerned since high rainfall and forest area make it the best breeding ground for malaria-causing mosquitoes.

The practice the health department has adopted in Visakha Agency is to conduct a smear test for malaria even for a minor ailment. The Rapid Diagnosis Kits supplied to the field-level Aasha workers give the smear test result within minutes and if they are malaria-positive the patient is immediately put on medication.

Preventive steps have resulted in significant reduction of malaria cases over the last few years but mosquito net, the important tool in preventing man-mosquito contact, is still not being put to optimum use. Even MLA of Paderu Giddi Eswari said during a review meeting conducted by Minister for Panchayati Raj and Rural Water Supply Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu here that the mosquito nets treated with some chemical to ensure greater safety from mosquitoes were being used as curtains etc. Creating awareness among people to put the mosquito nets to proper use is necessary, said Ms. Eswari and the Minister agreed.

Project Officer of ITDA Paderu, P. Vinay Chand, said campaign was being conducted while Mr. Patrudu felt that involvement of political leaders right from the village level in such campaigns would be useful.

Congenital cyanotic heart disease (called tetralogy of Fallot after the physician who described it) is a problem that occurs since birth due to a big hole in the heart and decreased blood supply to the lungs due to improper development of pulmonary arteries.

Pure and impure blood gets mixed in the heart. This problem is generally treated during childhood with a surgery but a city hospital received a 42-year-old patient recently who is having cyanotic heart disease. While barely one per cent of the patients with the disease survive till this age, this patient had also lost his left lung to TB at the age of 20.

It was a big challenge to the cardio-thoracic surgery team but Jaideep Trivedi and his team of Chandrahas, Kiran, Rama Rao and perfusionist Gershome could complete the surgery successfully at the Queen’s NRI Hospital here. The patient was discharged 10 days after surgery.