Ahmedabad accounts for 60% malaria cases in Gujarat

Well, this is bound to sting Amdavadis! In a shocking revelation, Ahmedabad city has reported the highest percentage of malaria cases in Gujarat.

Out of total malaria cases reported in Gujarat, nearly 66% have been diagnosed within the limits of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).

Gujarat state health department is monitoring the situation and the government has indicated that it wants a team of experts from the Centre to study the scenario.

Gujarat state health minister Jaynarayan Vyas informed that the city has reported maximum number of malaria cases. "We have got to know that as many as 66% of total malaria cases in the state have been reported from Ahmedabad city alone. It is very unusual. Though the system for controlling the disease is very much in place, we want to know and understand why it is happening. Is it improved system of diagnosis of malaria in the city or the spread has increased?"

He added, "We are mulling over writing a letter to the Union government requesting them to send a team comprising experts from institutions like National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR), World Health Organisation (WHO) to study the situation and give their opinion on it."

Listing out the likely causes behind this startling trend, Dr HC Shrivastava, senior scientist at NIMR said, "There might be more than one reason for Ahmedabad having maximum number of malaria cases in the state. One of the reasons is that being the largest city of the state, it is also receiving malaria patients from outside, who come to the city for treatment."

He added, "Second reason could be that city has more number of private practicing doctors rather than the government. It is observed that private doctors do not follow the line of treatment formulated by national drug policy on malaria," he said.

Dwelling further, Shrivastava said, “Doctors don’t give the Primaquine tablet to completely eradicate the malaria parasite from the body.”

“So in the absence of effective treatment the parasite load in community tends to be more, which may cause its transmission through the mosquitoes. This results in the relapse of malaria in patients during the months of April, May, June, considered as hot months.”

He further said, “We are also working closely with the AMC health officials. It is observed that their diagnosis of malaria and reporting system is improving so it may be possible that number of malaria cases being reported have risen.