Anti-malarial drive intensified in coastal areas of Kanniyakumari district

With the active southwest monsoon keeping every place in Kanniyakumari district damp and the water bodies brimming with water, the Kanniyakumari district administration has intensified anti-malarial drive across the district.

As the southwest monsoon has moved to top gear in Kanniyakumari district, most of the water bodies in the district, including small ponds in rural areas, are almost full, providing conducive environment for Anopheles mosquito breeding. Consequently, malarial outbreak has become inevitable in the district between June and December every year in the areas where the anti-malarial drive is not carried out intensely.

Hence, the district administration has instructed the urban and rural local bodies to deploy the anti-malarial workers to visit every house to check for mosquito breeding grounds while appealing to the public to destroy such spots on their own to contain the possible outbreak of malaria.

According to District Collector R. Alagumeena, the anti-malaria fieldworkers deployed by the local bodies are collecting blood samples from the public suffering from fever to be analysed in the Primary Health Centres (PHCs). Those who test positive for this investigation are being given the proper line of treatment by the doctors attached to the PHC concerned.

Moreover, similar tests are being conducted for the fever patients coming to the PHCs on their own so as to give them the proper and early medical assistance.

“Fever with shivering, headache, nausea, stomach pain, intermittent fever in the evening are the symptoms of Malaria being spread by anopheles mosquitoes. Hence, the public should visit the PHC immediately following the onset of fever and get their blood sample investigated for early and right medical assistance. The fever patients should not try home remedies or approach the quacks for treating malarial infection,” Ms. Alagumeena cautioned.

As per the information collected so far by the fieldworkers, a few malaria cases can be spotted in the coastal areas of the district. Hence, the Department of Public Health and the local bodies have asked their staff to visit Kovalam (1,369 houses), Azhikkaal (522 houses), Muttom (1,461 houses), Vaaniyakkudi (782 houses), Kurumpanai (899 houses) and Enayam (1,975 houses) for sprinkling anti-malarial agents.

“We’ve planned to conduct this drive to destroy the mosquito breeding grounds between June and September, and hence the public should cooperate with these staff by allowing them inside their houses for inspection and appropriate action,” Ms. Alagumeena said.