Mangluru: The district administration in association with Government Wenlock hospital, Mangalore City Corporation, the Health Department and the Lady Goschen Hospital held ‘Anti-Malaria Month’ jatha from Jyothi Ambedkar circle here, on June 19.
The jatha was flagged off by the CEO of Zilla Panchayat Sreevidya at the Ambedkar Circle, Jyothi and culminated near the DC’s Office.
Nurses from Wenlock Hospital, Lady Goschen Hospital, members from ZP and other organizations participated in the jatha.
Speaking to mangalorean.com, District Vector Borne Disease Control Officer Dr Arun Kumar said, “We are observing this month as anti-malaria month, we will hold jathas in various places to bring awareness among the people. For the key message to reach the people, we have displayed placards and marched on the streets so that people can be aware of the disease. Now, we see a number of Dengue cases in the district. There are more than 200 dengue cases, out of which 55 are positive. In Sullia and Beltangady, there are more than 100 suspected cases. There are 12 and 10 positive Elisa cases confirmed in Sullia and Beltangady. In the district, we have a special ward for Dengue patients and we have taken all the measures to treat them.”
He further said, “In 2015 from January, there have been 1,966 malaria cases in the district but if we compare it to last year the number has decreased by 36%. The dengue cases are also less compared to last year. Dengue is a deadly disease and people should take proper treatment. In some cases, the fever comes down but other problems may increase. Timely intervention is necessary to avoid this disease. Some patients show no symptoms at all. Babies and young children infected with the dengue virus typically have mild symptoms such as fever and rash over their entire body, and no other symptoms. Older children and adults may also have such mild symptoms, or they may have classic symptoms of dengue, including high fever that lasts for two to seven days, severe pain in the muscles, bones, and joints, pain behind the eyes, severe headache, nausea and vomiting, and rash. Dengue fever is characterized by a fever response with two peaks. In the beginning of the infection, the patient experiences a very high body temperature, which then starts to drop and suddenly climbs again for a second time. Other symptoms of dengue fever include a decrease in the number of white blood cells and a low level of platelets in the blood. Patients with dengue fever may have skin hemorrhages (bleeding under the surface of the skin) that appear as red or purple spots on the body. Dengue fever can also cause bleeding from the skin, nose, and gums. Recovery from dengue fever is often lengthy, lasting several weeks, and patients can experience lingering fatigue and depression. Dengue is treatable if diagnosed at an early stage.”
He urged the people to keep their surroundings clean and avoid breeding of mosquitoes.
District Surgeon Dr Rajeshwari and other officers from the Health Department were also present.