Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh is facing the menace of malaria, with 39,456 people testing positive of the mosquito-borne disease in the district. The number of cases has surpassed outbreak of malaria in Bareilly in 2018 where 37,382 people were tested positive for malaria. What is more alarming is the fact that the number of cases is seeing an upward trajectory despite the health department carrying out fogging, larvicidal spray and indoor residual spray since the start of the season to prevent the breeding of diseases spreading mosquitoes.
Monsoon and post-monsoon season see a rise in mosquito-borne diseases including dengue, malaria, zika virus, chikungunya, yellow fever among others. These mosquitoes breed in stagnant water.
According to the latest data with the health department, 1,98,053 people in Bareilly have been diagnosed with fever from January to October 11 this year, of which 30,411 showed milder form of malaria -- plasmodium vivax (PV) -- while 9,045 were suffering from the "deadly" malaria strain -- plasmodium falciparum (PF).
To prevent the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, the health department has so far this year conducted larvicial spray in 1,147 villages and fogging in 385 villages.
In 2018, of the total 2,50,927 fever patients, the health department had detected 20,057 people with PV and 17,425 with PF in Bareilly district.
Though the number of PF cases in the district has declined this year as compared to the last year, Bareilly has reported a surge in total number of malaria cases against the last year. The district is also witnessing a constant rise in PV cases.
A report by The Times of India quoted Chief medical officer (CMO) Dr Vineet Shukla saying, "Our aim is to eradicate malaria from its roots in Bareilly and hence, we are trying to trace maximum number of persons carrying malaria parasite. We have been conducting active case finding by holding camps in affected villages to identify hidden patients. Unlike last year, the situation is under control this time and we have not reported any single casualty."
Shukla added that as the season of malaria is nearing its end, the number of malaria cases each day, both PF and PV, has started to decline.
“The measures taken by the health department for malaria will be visible in the district next year. The number of positive cases will sharply decrease in 2020," TOI quoted Additional director (health), Bareilly division, Dr Rakesh Dubey, as saying.
Along with Bareilly, the neighbouring districts have also reported a rise in malaria cases in comparison to last year. In Shahjahanpur 768 malaria cases have been recorded till October 11 this year as compared to 393 last year, while in Pilibhit 815 people have tested positive of malaria so far as compared to 541 in 2018.
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