Before now, the health department had released recommendations for dengue and malaria testing and treatment protocols. Additionally, all cases of malaria discovered by labs and hospitals must be reported to hospitals. Patients with malaria infections are being admitted to hospitals all over the city. However, the numbers are lower than the number of dengue patients.
Kolkata: The city deals with more than just the deadly Aedes aegypti sting. The anopheles, its sister, is also causing a ripple in Kolkata, albeit with less intensity. Health officials are worried about malaria cases in Kolkata, where Sir Ronald Ross discovered how malaria parasites are transmitted during the dengue crisis.
As of August, Bengal had reported 13,812 cases of malaria, 1,902 cases of Plasmodium falciparum and one fatality, according to data from the National Center for Vector Borne Diseases Control. Since August, the state has yet to update any data.
“Malaria cases are continuously being reported. However, the situation is not as concerning as the dengue outbreak. The information is still being assembled, “a department of health source said.
Before now, the health department had released recommendations for dengue and malaria testing and treatment protocols. Additionally, all malaria cases discovered in hospitals by labs must be reported.
Malaria patients are being admitted to hospitals all over the city. However, the numbers are lower than the number of dengue patients.
“We currently have 12 dengue patients and four patients with malaria.
Although the number is not as significant as dengue, we still regularly see patients with malaria, “Subhasish Datta, Ruby General Hospitals’ chief general manager (operations).
Most hospitals demand that patients with a fever get tested for dengue and malaria and some patients also have cross infections.
“In addition to cases of malaria, we are also seeing cases of chikungunya, which is also brought on by a mosquito bite. Currently, our hospital is treating two patients for malaria and four patients for chikungunya “according to Belle Vue Clinic CEO Pradip Tondon.
Although the numbers are not particularly concerning, Sudipta Mitra, CEO of Peerless Hospital, said, “We frequently receive cases of malaria.”
Health professionals stated that since mosquitoes transmit dengue and malaria, they can both happen simultaneously as long as mosquito breeding conditions are favorable. “Kolkata is endemic for vector-borne diseases due to a number of mosquito breeding grounds and the city’s hot, muggy climate. In addition, people are reluctant to use mosquito repellent, “according to Pratip Kundu, a professor of microbiology and a former director at the School of Tropical Medicine.
