Health department to distribute seven lakh nets in malaria-affected areas

BAREILLY:After malaria outbreak in Bareilly, the health department has sent a proposal to state government to provide 7 lakhs long lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN) for distribution among people residing in the affected areas. LLIN are nets with coating of insecticides and it kills mosquito when it sits on the net.

Officials said the state government had asked chief medical officers of 14 districts to send proposal for LLIN. In Bareilly, 19,320 cases of plasmodium vivax (PV) and 13,183 cases of plasmodium falciparum malaria (PF) have been detected till Thursday.

CMO Dr Vineet Shukla said, “Teams from union and state government had visited Bareilly following the outbreak of malaria. On the demand of state government, we have sent a proposal to demand 7 lakhs LLIN for free distribution among public. The state government will send the proposal to centre. LLIN will be distributed in those areas which have been severely affected with malaria.” Officials in Bareilly division said they have been conducting fogging and indoor pyrethrum spraying and outdoor larvicidal spraying to contain mosquito breeding. However, LLIN will help in ensuring better protection from mosquitoes and vector-borne diseases. Though it has been more than two months, the cases of malaria continue to be reported from Bareilly. According to health department, the blocks under Aonla sub-division including Majhgavan, Ramnagar and Bhamora have been severely affected. Apart from Bareilly, 13 districts which have also sent proposal for LLIN are Badaun, Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Sitapur, Sonbhadra, Mirzapur, Aligarh, Kanpur, Allahabad, Farookabad, Auraiya and Sant Ravidas Nagar.The division has so far reported 23,489 cases of PV malaria and 16,470 cases of PF malaria. Of the total cases, Badaun has reported 3475 cases of PV and 3191 cases of PF while 420 cases of PV and 83 cases of PV have been detected in Pilibhit. 274 cases of PV and 13 cases of PV have come to light in Shahjahanpur.