PARTICIPANTS AT the two-day national symposium on tribal health on Friday stressed the need to identify the causes of falciparum malaria, on the rise in the tribal dominated areas of the State and particularly in the Jabalpur areas.
Speaking at the concluding day of the symposium at the Regional Medical Research Centre for Tribals, Jabalpur (RMRC) here RMRC acting deputy director Dr. Neeru Singh said there was a need to find out the causes for the rise in seizures in falciparum cases in the tribal areas of the State. However, she said there was a decline in vivax malaria parasite in these areas.
She said the second line (next generation) drug should be used to lower the impact of falciparum cases if upsurge in this disease is due to chloroquine resistance.
The two powerful tools- DDT and chloroquine -on which malaria control relied are no longer effective and this malaria parasite appeared to have developed resistance, she said.
In April–May 2003, she said there was an outbreak of falciparum malaria in urban areas of Jabalpur among tribals when temperature was around 40 degree centigrade. These tribals had spent 3 weeks in forest of Panna district for collection of Mahua.
{{/usCountry}}In April–May 2003, she said there was an outbreak of falciparum malaria in urban areas of Jabalpur among tribals when temperature was around 40 degree centigrade. These tribals had spent 3 weeks in forest of Panna district for collection of Mahua.
{{/usCountry}}Dr. Singh said these tribal during Mahua collection slept under Mahua trees in open air and more than three deaths were recorded among 39 tribals in falciparum malaria.
Other speaker too echoed Singh’s observation and expressed concern over the rise of the disease in the State.