Hygiene mania downs dengue cases by 90%; malaria at half of normal

Ranchi: Cases of vector-borne diseases in the state have dropped drastically this year, the state department of health, medical education and family welfare data has revealed.
Though the decrease has been attributed to increased and regular fever survey camps being conducted by sahiyas and multipurpose health workers (MPW) in malaria-endemic districts, apart from heightened awareness on personal hygiene because of the Covid-19 pandemic, there are apprehensions that a large number of cases were unreported because of the fear of being categorized as Covid patients.
Meanwhile, the health department is yet to come out with a formal notification on the Centre’s directive on October 13 to make it mandatory to undergo Covid test for all patients of seasonal diseases such as malaria, dengue, chikungunya, swine flu and leptospirosis. In cases of dengue and chikungunya, the Centre said RT-PCR tests of blood serum have been recommended in the early stages of the infection while RT-PCR tests have been suggested for swine flu patients in acute stages.
In 2019, a total of 10,864 malarial cases were reported from across the state but dropped to 5,355 this year. Dengue cases in 2019 which stood at 825 also decreased to only 58 so far this year. Compared to 112 cases of Japanese Encephalitis last year, just 19 cases have been reported in 2020. As many as 110 chikungunya cases have been documented this year as compared to 169 in 2019.
Dr Bhagwat Marandi, special project officer of the state malaria control cell, said, “Since the lockdown came into force, MPWs and sahiyas are conducting door-to-door fever surveys in the endemic districts like East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan. We have also distributed close to 1 crore medicated mosquito nets since March this year. That apart, a special drive is underway where the locals are being encouraged to drain out standing water from their homes and vicinity every Sunday.”
However, experts said a lot of malarial cases may have gone unreported due to the apprehensions of Covid-19. “Though it is difficult to hide the symptoms caused by vector-borne diseases, it cannot be ruled out that many might have not been reported,” Marandi said.
While anti-malarial medicines are administered by MPWs during special village testing camps, cases of dengue, chikungunya and kala-azar have to be treated at dedicated centres located in Chaibasa, Jamshedpur, Ranchi, Dhanbad and Sahibganj.