& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Cox's Bazar & 3 hill dists

Malaria kills over 2500 in seven years

By Naimul Haq back from Rangamati and Cox's Bazar
Malaria has claimed more than 2.500 lives and affected over four lakh people in Rangamati, Khagrachhari. Bandarban and Cox's Bazar districts during the last seven years, according to sources in the Directorate of He.alth and the Civil Surgeons' offices in the districts.
More than eighty lakh people are now living in the four malaria prone districts. Another one crore people in the rest of the country risk contamination with the disease - perhaps not in the epidemic form but in dangerous level, according to official statistics.
Khagrachhari district topped the list of malaria victims from 1990 to 1996 with
1,049 cases of death and 51.020 affected, followed by Bandarban where 790 people died and 122.815 were affected. Rangamati came next with 402 dead and 97.489 affected while 321 cases of death and 129.793 affected were recorded In Cox’s Bazar.
To contain the deadly disease in the region, considered endemic.’ Bangladesh government and those of the neighbouring countries in the early Fifties introduced the malaria eradication programme (MEP). Under the special WHO pro-grarhme. vast areas of the dense forests spanning from the Chittagong Hill Tracts to the bor-ders of Thailand were sprayed with mosquito killing insecticide. The programme, however, proved ineffective mainly due to integration of MEP into gen -eral health services and cessation of vector control operations, the sources pointed out.
In view of the deteriorating situation. Bangladesh government and WHO reviewed the malaria control programme in May. 1992. Later, in the same year at Amsterdam, delegates from various countries endorsed the world declaration on malaria and the revised global strategy for its control.
Since its implementation, malaria, especially in the endemic zone, is well under control. According to a recent government assessment of the current malaria control activities, the reported cases showed a downward trend. A 25 per cent reduction of malaria deaths by the year 2000 has been targeted. WHO has a budget of about Tk 1.10.50.000 for this fiscal year exclusively for control of the vector borne disease.
There are four types of malaria parasites, globally recognised. Two of those. Plasmodium Falciparum and Plasmodium Vivax. exist in Bangladesh. Mosquitoes carrying P. Falciparum parasites live mainly in dense hilly forest areas whereas mosquitoes having P. Vivax live in the plains. Both the parasites, transferred through mosquito bites, multiply in the red blood cells causing sickness, the first symptom of the disease, followed by severe diarrhoea, anaemia, vom-itting and unconsciousness.
"We have three different forms of malaria treatment. Uncomplicated, when the patient experiences mild fever, he is given chloroquine tablets for three days. If the victim does not show any sign of improvement. his case is considered as treatment failure malaria. He is then given quinine, fansidar and primaquine tablets. If temperature of the patient continues to rise, the victim is given ?|uinine injection along with ansidar and primaquine tablets." explained Dr Ajay Ghosh, a medical officer at the Ramu Thana Health Complex in Cox's Bazar.
Malaria, once viewed wjfh superstitions, seems to be well in control now in the remote villages. "This has been possible through extensive, motivational programmes. "Traditional village quacks, imams and elite of the rural areas are regularly briefed about the modern method of malaria treatment. A villager feeling fever would Instantly take a dose of chloroquine tablet before arriving at the thana health complex for further treatment." Dr Ghosh added.
There was a time in early seventies when at least one member from every family in the deep forests of the Hill Tracts region died from malaria. Death toll was high
when the disease spread in an epidemic form. Today we have some of the best experts on malaria control in the country. Thanks to the national policy, we are now able to combat this killer disease, once considered uncontrollable." said Dr Supriya Barua. Civil Surgeon of Rangamati.
Despite substantial success in eradication, incidence of malaria in remote hill- areas will continue so long as communication in the area does not improve. There are inaccessible places in Pargaon. Bagaichhari and Langadu in Rangamati and Nachionchhari in Cox's Bazar where the only means of communication is by foot. It takes six to nine hours to reach the nearest health centre. In such places a positive malaria victim would probably die helplessly." Dr Barua, who has 18 years of experience in this field, told The Daily Star.
Patients with malaria flood hospitals during the pre-monsoon (June-July) and post-monsoon (September-October) seasons when mosquitoes start breeding. Medicated mosquito nets distributed in the villages have proved an effective tool to fight mosquitoes, especially before. during and after the monsoon season, sources concerned pointed out.
"To detect positive cases of malaria, blood samples are taken for microscopic examination. This tremendously helps us during our treatment period. We know exactly which drug to apply." said Dr Barua. Without the examination, it is difficult to determine the nature of the parasitic attack which can cause constriction of blood vessels in the brain and ultimate death within six to eight hours." he added.