The silver clouds kissing the mountain peaks and passing over the ghat road, leading to Araku Valley, are a tourist’s delight during the monsoon. In contrast, a little distance away from the main road into the woods, tribal hamlets are plagued by diseases which are common during the rainy season.
However, this year the incidence of malaria in the tribal areas is about 55% less compared to the same period (up to July 10) last year. Officials attribute it to increased disease surveillance, spraying of insecticides to control mosquitoes and holding of medical camps in the affected areas.
Meghana, aged around 5, was lying on a mat on the mud floor in the verandah of their house at Teegalamada village of Kothuru panchayat, about 5 km from the main road at Sivalingapuram. Her 10-year-old sister Lakshmi Prasanna was covering her with a blanket. Both have been affected by malaria.
“We have taken the kids to a private hospital at S. Kota where they were given some tonics and tablets. Lakshmi Prasanna has recovered but Meghana still has cough though the fever has subsided,” says Bhimanna, their paternal grandfather, cooking on a firewood stove barely a few feet away.
Asked why they were not taken to the government hospital at S. Kota, he says: “They will ask us to keep the children in the hospital for five days for treatment which we can’t afford to do. I and my wife have to run the house and take care of the kids.”
Representatives of local organisations say that many are taking treatment at private hospitals as they are against getting admitted in government hospitals and losing their livelihood apart from the fear of contracting COVID-19. These cases mostly go unreported.
Monitoring
“Special officers have been appointed for field monitoring at the village and mandal levels. Long life mosquito nets were supplied to tribal people and awareness was created among them on their proper use,” ITDA Project Officer R. Gopalakrishna tells The Hindu .
On complaints of non-availability of malaria testing kits and drugs to ASHA (Accredited Social Health Assistant) workers, Mr. Gopalakrishna denies any such shortage and says the situation is being monitored on a daily basis at various levels.
A total of 2,09,500 blood samples were collected up to July 10 and 398 malaria cases were detected in the 11 Agency mandals as against 2,06,905 blood samples and 901 cases during the period last year. Dengue and chikungunya cases recorded during the same period were six and two in 2020 and nine and one this year, according to Additional DM & HO T. Surekha.
“ASHA workers were trained in the use of Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) kits. Supplying a few kits to each worker will ensure that malaria is detected on the spot and treatment started immediately,” says Dayanand of Chintapalli, who has been closely watching the situation for the last couple of decades.
“We are given 20 paracetamol tablets a month but not given malaria drugs. We have to inform the ANM, if there is a malaria case, to get the drugs,” says an ASHA worker.
“Tribal people are averse to coming to the hospital as there are some COVID-19 patients being treated in the isolation ward on a separate floor. We have all the medical equipment and drugs needed but they go to private hospitals,” says a nurse at the Area Hospital at Araku.
It is, however, learnt that there are only two doctors as against the sanctioned strength of 23 at the hospital.
