Vector-borne diseases on decline

Surat: Good news for Surtis. Malaria is on the decline in the diamond city since the last one decade. And the same has also been registered in case of number of dengue patients. This heartening fact was revealed on World Malaria Day on April 25 by Surat Municipal Corporation’s vector -borne disease control department (VBDC).
Dr JP Waghdia, in-charge of VBDC department said, “We have recorded 30 per cent reduction in malaria and dengue cases for the last two years. The basic reason behind the decline is the development of a system network that enables us to get full information about vector-borne disease patients and helps us take instant preventive action in the areas infested by these disease spreading mosquitoes.”
He further added that SMC’s surveillance staff and treatment concentration has also increased as the civic body has hired and employed more than 600 staff in the last two years.
Dr Jayant Patel, a private practitioner in Pandesara area said, “The number of relapse cases and those of direct transmission are reducing, which indicates that the system is working. Patient completing a full course treatment for malaria minimises chances of relapse and together with regular cleaning activity, direct transmission cases also come down effectively.”
Highly susceptible areas like the slums of Pandesara, Limbayat, some parts of Vesu and a few other areas of the city are undergoing house to house surveillance every 15 days to wipe out the menace of vector diseases.
“Even deadly type of malaria cases like plasmodium falciparum have reduced 10 folds, thanks to modern technology. All our laboratories and equipment are integrated with staff on ground, so immediately after detection a new case can be directly sent to sanitary inspector and primary health worker for corrective action,” said Dr Waghadia. He added that continuous practice for a few more years will ensure that the number of malaria cases go below 100 in a year.