Workshop on malaria, JE held

A WORKSHOP on ?malaria, filaria and Japanese encephalitis? was organised by the district malaria department at Regional Family Planning and Training Centre (RFPTC) on Friday.

A WORKSHOP on ‘malaria, filaria and Japanese encephalitis’ was organised by the district malaria department at Regional Family Planning and Training Centre (RFPTC) on Friday.

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Presiding over the workshop, joint director Dr Nisar Ahmed said the Japanese encephalitis was a viral disease that infects animal and human.

He said mosquitoes transmit JE, causing inflammation of the membranes around the brain. Pigs were the main hosts of the virus because virus reproduces in pigs and infects mosquitoes that take blood meals, but did not cause disease, he added.

He said the infected mosquito then transmits the virus to human population and particularly children. “In order to control the situation, it has become necessary to remove piggeries situated near the residential colonies. Ideally the piggeries should be established five kms away from the colonies,” he informed.

Dr Ahmed said the symptoms of JE were high fever, headache, neck stiffness, disorientation, coma, seizures and spastic paralysis. The disease also has high mortality rate, he added.

“However different fogging techniques need to be adopted to effectively control the mosquito population. In the JE affected area the fogging should be done outdoor because the pigs and infected mosquito fly outside the residence.

Whereas in the case of dengue and malaria the fogging should be done both indoor and outdoor,” he said.

The entomologist gave presentation on how mosquito affects the human population. As many as 50 basic health workers attended the workshop.