KANGPOKPI, August 25: As part of the observance of Anti Malaria Month observed every year in the Country prior to the onset of monsoon and transmission session, addl DC Kangpokpi, DK Thangboi, inaugurated the observance of Anti-Malaria Month in Sadar Hills at District Council Hall, Kangpokpi here today.
DK. Thangboi, addl DC Kangpokpi and Dr Jangkholun Touthang, Sr medical officer i/c, CHC, Kangpokpi attended the inaugural function as chief guest and president respectively while Haokholun Chongloi, secretary, Kangpokpi Town Committee attended the function as guest of honour.
Dr Len Kamkhosat Khongsai, district malaria officer, Kangpokpi and other department officers were also on the dais apart from leaders of various CSOs, ASHAs, students and the public who also attended the occasion.
“We don’t need to depend on other while we have enough skilled and proficient doctors in the state” asserted DK. Thangboi, Addl. DC Kangpokpi while adding that depending on other can be avoided when the people are make aware and instigate the necessity and importance of consulting doctors on time in their mind.
Elucidating his statement the addl. DC continued that most of the people in the state particularly people living in the hill districts consult doctors or approach hospital only when a person is in the deteriorating condition which render the doctors a limited time to save or cured the patient.
He further said that another bad habit of the people is taking medicine in their own knowledge without consulting doctors while they have little concerned about the outcome of this habit.
The addl DC, who is also the chairman of the District Vector Borne Disease Control Society, Kangpokpi stated that Malaria is one of the serious public health problems in India while pointing out that at the time of independence it contributed 75 million cases with 0.8 million deaths every year prior to the launching of National Malaria Control Programme in 1953.
He also said that a countrywide comprehensive programme to control malaria was recommended in 1946 by the Bhore committee report that was endorsed by the Planning Commission in 1951. Since then the national programme against malaria has a long history, he added.
“Don’t works with an intention of earning acclaim from other rather work sincerely, honestly and faithfully so that everybody will honour and praise you”, advised Dr Jamkholun Touthang, Sr. MO i/c, CHC, Kangpokpi to all medical personnel while speaking at the function.
He further counsel that give cooperation and support to your superior and served the people which is equally equivalent to serving God.
While he appeals the general public to render cooperation towards the ASHA, who works in the grassroots level the Sr. MO i/c stated that ASHA contributed the most important role in medical sector.
Haokholun Chongloi, secretary of Kangpokpi Town Committee while lauding the organisers declared that it is a privilege for the people of Sadar Hills to have such important programme for the welfare of the people.
Dr Len Kamkhosat Khongsai, district malaria officer, Kangpokpi maintained that everybody knows about Malaria but often do not realize that the disease has not loosened its grip on our country while adding that it is the aim of the District Vector Borne Disease Control Society, Kangpokpi to enhanced awareness about the disease and encouraged community participation in the control programme and also to lower its burden on our Nation.
The malaria officer pointed out that it is especially dangerous in pregnant women since it can lead to the baby born with low birth weight eventually leading to its possible death.
He continued that the newest drug therapies being used in India include a combination of drugs namely Artemisinin based combination therapy (ACT) and it is preferred over conventional therapies because it offers a number of benefits while adding that if one drug fails to act the other drugs will definitely work and it also helps reduce the chances of the condition recurring while it is also less likely for the parasite to become resistant to it.
While the new policies have been employed in high risk areas such as Northeast states Artemisinin based Combination therapy with Artemether Lumefantrine (ACT-AL) has been introduced from this year, added the Malaria Officer.
At this phase our definition of success must shift from live saved to case detected continued Dr. Len Kamkhosat Khongsai while pointing out that case detection is an important step forward on the path to eliminating the disease.
Emphasizing the necessity of community participation in the programme the Malaria Officer stressed the need to reduce Malaria by taking fever cases to health care personnel and recommended the people to keep their surrounding clean while using mosquito net and remove stagnant water from their surrounding as mosquito breeds in water.
He further pointed out that in 2013 four positive cases of Malaria had been detected in Sadar Hills alone while three of them were Pv+ve and the other one Pf+ve and among the four cases three were founded to be imported case.
Recently two cases of Malaria were detected from in the district. One from Phainom village and other from Dolang Khunou in March and July respectively this year continued the MO while adding that both the patients were infected from the forest area.
Fortunately, there are no reported of death due to the disease in the district for the past 9 years while the District Vector Borne Disease Control Society continues surveillance activities to keep the disease in control.
Training of ASHAs has been proposed for making testing and treatment available at the village level and Indoor Residual Spray (IRS) of DDT is being done and still continuing as control measures in area prone to the disease while Insecticide treatment of community owned bed-nets is being carried out in remote village and LLIN nets have been distributed in the prone areas which was received from NHRM, from Senapati district maintained the Malaria Officer.
He also said that in continuation of Anti Malaria Moth observance, the District Vector Borne Disease Control Society, Kangpokpi is going to conduct District Level Inter-Sectoral Sensitization Meeting with different departments of the district and also organized awareness programmes in schools and communities.