Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Oct 20: At a time when coronavirus infection has been spreading all over and giving anxious moments to the concerned, malaria and dengue cases are also on the rise. 59 malaria cases were registered in September. Therefore, the health department has been conducting random blood tests of migrants and workers around the city bus stand, Car Street and other places.

During this year, 95 malaria cases were reported. 78 among them are from the city alone. 13 are from rural places, one from Kundapur, and three cases belong to Karkala. Between January and August, only 36 were infected with malaria, but the figure suddenly jumped by a hundred per cent in one month. The health workers, therefore, have taken up the task of conducting mass tests early in the morning.

Dengue comes down

Between January and June this year, 98 dengue cases were reported in the district, and July recorded the highest number of 39 patients. But only five cases were reported in August and one in September. This clearly indicates that the dengue grip has eased. 20 of these cases belong to the city here, 59 to rural places, 26 to Kundapur and 32 to Karkala. Last year, the district had seen 226 dengue cases.

Chikungunya

Chikungunya is under control in the district. Two cases were reported from the city from January to April while eight cases were found in rural areas, making it to a total of ten cases. No further cases were reported so far. Kundapur and Karkala taluk have no Chikungunya cases. Last year too, ten Chikungunya cases were reported from the district.

Brain fever

Brain fever however has seen some increase this time. A total of six cases, two of which belong to the city and four to rural areas. Kundapur and Karkala taluks did not have brain fever cases. In 2018, only two cases were reported in the district and two more in 2019.

Testing

Every year, about 15 per cent of the population of the district are subjected to dengue and dengue tests. Health workers visit houses and collect blood samples if there is anyone suffering from fever. The tests are performed at the primary health centres. Some other persons suffering from fever directly approach the hospital as such, there is always clear data about the affected people.

Krishna Prasadam

Migrants and destitute taking shelter in bus stands and also construction workers coming from other states need to be tested and medicines should be recommended on the basis of symptoms. Many migrant workers refused when a steep jump in cases, the health workers then went to their homes for testing. The department, therefore, thought of conducting tests and distributing to them the Krishna prasadam. This is attracting people now. The number of people willing to undergo tests has gone up from 20 to 30 in the past to about a hundred now. The district health officer, therefore, requested Sri Krishna Math to provide light refreshment (Krishna Prasadam) for 15 more days.

Dr Prashanth Bhat, district officer for control of vector-borne diseases, says that as a result of regular checking and dispensation of medicines to migrants and workers, malaria has come down. He said that the spray of chemical at places where water has stagnated has been going on. He said more people are opting to get themselves tested as the light refreshment of Krishna Math is being provided, adding that chances of the medicines having affect are more now as medicines are consumed after their breakfast unlike empty stomachs as in the past.