KATHMANDU,
In its efforts to meet the national target of controlling malaria by
2015, the government is planning to distribute over 2.5 million
Insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs). The Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD) under the
Department of Health services plans to distribute 2,574,932 ITNs in 31
districts affected by malaria.
As the country marked World Malaria
Day on Thursday, Chief of the EDCD Dr GD Thakur said they will
distribute 1.4 million nets this fiscal year, while the remaining will
be disturbed next year. The government will provide one net for two
people aged more than five in each household, while pregnant women will
be given the nets during their routine pregnancy check-up. Earlier, the government had provided the nets to only 13 districts bordering India.
However, this time, apart from 10 districts in the Himalaya region, the
government will provide the nets to 13 most vulnerable and 18
vulnerable districts. The 13 districts that the programme covered earlier were Jhapa, Ilam,
Morang, Dhanusa, Mohattari, Sindhuli, Kavre, Nawalparasi, Bardiya,
Kailali, Kanchanpur, Dadeldhura and Banke.
The added districts include Panchthar, Dhankuta, Sunsari, Saptari,
Siraha, Udayapur, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara, Parsa, Makawanpur, Chitwan,
Sindhupalchowk, Rupandehi, Kapilvastu, Dang, Surkhet and Doti. According
to the EDCD, around 20.5 million people of 65 districts are affected by
malaria.The government has also been conducting malaria control programmes with support from the Global Fund since 2004.
The EDCD says that the number of confirmed malaria casese has decreased
by 1/3 in comparison to 2004. Statistics show there are over 3,200
malaria cases in Nepal at present.
Malaria
is caused in humans through the sting of the anopheles mosquito.
According to the World Health Organization, the first symptoms of
malaria are fever, headache, chills and vomiting, which may be mild and
difficult to recognise as malaria.It says that if not treated within 24 hours, the P falciparum malaria
can progress to severe illness often leading to death. Children with
severe malaria frequently develop one or more symptoms, including severe
anaemia.
Source: The Kantipur Daily
APR 26, 2013
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