Malaria patients in Kurnool on road to recovery

As many as 83 persons tested malaria positive in TV9 Colony, inhabited by daily wage earners in Orvakal mandal in Kurnool district, but most of them are recovering due to treatment and medication given by the efforts of medical officers of Orvakal, Nannur and Thandrapadu primary health centres and District Malaria Officer Hussain Peera.

More than half-a-dozen children, including Babu, a 10-month-old boy, Abdul, 18-month-old boy and Sivagopal, an eight-year-old, were suffering from malaria while the men and women who were down with fever for about a fortnight are recovering due to the medication given and anti-larval operations and spraying of pyrethrium and DDT in each of the 1,200 households.

Neglected area

Situated on a hilltop, TV9 Colony has no drinking water facility, no drainage system or garbage clearance mechanism and is a picture of neglect with insanitation.

The colony came up with 1,200 houses allotted to families of Sharinnagar, Krishnanagar and Kallur in Kurnool town which were displaced during the 2009 floods. Ironically, neither the Thandrapadu PHC nor Nannur PHC has jurisdiction over the colony.

On outbreak of malarial fevers in the colony, Nannur PHC doctor conducted a medical camp and collected 80 blood sera samples and 26 malaria cases were detected. The district malaria office staff collected 330 blood sera and cerebrospinal fluid samples and 83 tested positive for plasmodium vivax malaria in Elisa test.

There were no cases of plasmodium falciparum bites, Dr. Hussain Peera said.

In all, 3.19 lakh blood sera samples were collected in Kurnool district and of them, 189 were found to be suffering from malaria, he said. Kurnool district recorded the least number of 14 dengue cases out of 254 suspected dengue patients, he added.

No chikungunya cases

Twenty six cases of suspected Japanese encephalitis were recorded and no chikungunya case came up, Dr. Peera said. Malaria cases were under control in Nandyal, Allagadda, Atmakur, Velugodu and Srisailam, he said.

Malaria cases under control in in Nandyal, Allagadda, Atmakur, Velugodu and Srisailam