Rare malaria genus Plasmodium ovale reported in Kerala, soldier who came from Sudan is under treatment

There is no reason to worry as the health minister has said that the spread of the disease can be avoided with timely treatment and preventive measures

At a time when Kerala is grappling with a resurgence of Covid-19 cases in the last few weeks, the health department of the state has detected a new genus of malaria called ‘plasmodium oval’, state health minister KK Shailaja tweeted on Thursday. The disease was detected in a soldier who travelled from Sudan. He was being treated at the district hospital in Kannur. “Plasmodium oval, a new genus of malaria, has been detected in the State. It was found in a soldier who was being treated at the District hospital in Kannur. The soldier had come from Sudan,” Shailaja wrote on Twitter.

Health minister KK Shailaja said the virus was found in a soldier who came from Sudan.

Protozoa which is responsible for malaria can be found in five varieties: Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium malaria, Plasmodium knowlesi and Plasmodium ovale. Among these, Plamodium Vivax and Palsmodium Falciparum are the most common in India. Plasmodium ovale is generally found in Africa.

However, there is no reason to worry as the health minister has said that the spread of the disease can be avoided with timely treatment and preventive measures. This type of malaria is not known to be fatal. The malaria test was held at Kannur District Hospital after the soldier who went to Sudan as part of UN service complained of malaria symptoms. The virus was confirmed after a detailed study.

India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus in Thrissur district of Kerala when a student, who was studying in Wuhan University, China and had returned to India. Also in 2018, a Nipah virus disease (NiV) outbreak was reported from Kozhikode district.