Malaria Epidemic

Real Game Behind the Curtain

Priyanka Deb Barman

She was barely a year old, you see! And we didn’t even get the chance to get her to a hospital, Dayamati’s father Bishuram said. A daily labourer from Karyakumar Para of East Chowmanu under Longtraivalley sub-division of Dhalai district, Bishuram is only one among many parents lamenting these days. Villages have been abandoned one after another. Health Centres are facing shortage of space to accommodate new patients. And the situation is similar in at least ten sub-divisions of the state.

It all started from Gandacherra.

Tripura recorded a total of 54 deaths from malaria parasite till June 28, 2014.Uunofficial sources claimed the figure had crossed hundred weeks before.

"Dayamati was barely a year old when a ravaging malaria killed her alongwith 53 others. The great malaria epidemic of Tripura which had a death toll of 54 till June 28 and an afflicted population of 10,290 is one of the largest pandemic situations of the state in recent times. A disease that could be easily cured; more easily prevented, left the state Health Department dumbfounded as the death toll keeps increasing by the day."

Over 60 thousand people suffering with fever across the state were subjected to mandatory blood tests in hospitals after the disease took toll of the first sixteen. The government, however, denies them to have died from the outbreak. “We couldn’t test them. Their family members cremated them before we could reach”, Health Minister Badal Choudhury said. Asked about reasons of the failure to communicate with people at ground zero level in time, the minister gave a surprising reply. “Our people from Health Department were not working at the grass root”. “There was no MPW, ASHA worker or Anganwadi worker and helper in the field to inform concerned health centres about the disaster. The situation continued for at least 2 months”, he said.

The funny reason immediately sparked controversy and the opposition Congress came out in criticism demanding to announce health emergency in the state. Nothing happened, needless to say. Health Minister Choudhury said that the government didn’t mind avoiding purchase of anti-malaria drugs for the past several years since there was no major malaria outbreak for the last five years. Surprisingly, the National Vector Borne Disease Control Program   states that the across the country to control diseases like malaria, dengue, chikunguniya etc. couldn’t be of any help either

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