Govt’s anti-larva campaign to begin from June 16

Raipur, May 20, 2011

Considering rising cases of malaria in the state, the government will commence its anti-larva campaign from June 16. The Health and Family Welfare Minister Amar Agrawal informed that the department had framed effective plan to prevent occurrence of malaria, especially in rural areas.

He informed that the department’s field workers would not only start spraying larvicides from June 16 but would also conduct door-to-door survey to find out malaria cases.

“If malaria falciparum case would be found in any village then the department would immediately conduct rapid fever survey (RFS) in that area and collect blood slides of at least fifty families,” he said.

Similarly, in case of malaria outbreak, the department would organise makeshift health camp in the particular villages to provide quick treatment to the patients. The affected villages would be considered as epicenters and RFS would be conducted in their 5 km circumference.

Agrawal has instructed all the chief medical and health officers to seriously carry out anti-larva campaign across the state. He said all the ground staffers and mitanins should have sufficient anti-malarial medicines.

He further said that the health workers should visit villages under their respective sub-health centres at least weekly or fortnightly and prepare blood slides of the patients suffering from fever by taking stock of the situation from mitanins and sarpanchs.

The health workers should also check availability of medicines and malaria test kits with mitanins, Agrawal said.

He directed the officials to impart training regarding malaria prevention, test and treatment to all the rural health assistants, sector supervisors, multipurpose health workers and mitanins by June 30.

He said the sector supervisors should conduct review of the condition of patients suffering from fever on weekly basis and ensure that the blood slides are being prepared in proportion to the population of the particular village.

Agrawal said chief medical officers and district officers should specially monitor malaria-prone areas and remote villages. Besides, the department would inform people about preventive measures of malaria through murals and other publicity mediums.