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Publication Reporting Alert ID Place Name News Source/Publication Language Date Date www.timesofindia.com/English Nuh 4991 26.10.2018 29.10.2018 https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/66378 Haryana 932.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium =text&utm_campaign=cppst Title: Malaria cases continue to rise with latest tally touching 1957 cases in Nuh district, Haryana Action By CSU, IDSP Information communicated to DSU-Nuh, SSU-Haryana –NCDC

Nuh, declared highly sensitive for malaria, has registered 1957 malaria cases since May this year. The health authorities state that the cases are expected to rise till November 15. Once no case is reported for a period 10-15 days then the medical staff would do follow up of all the patients to ensure that they have fully recuperated and not had relapse. The figure is disturbing — the district seems to be on the verge of an outbreak.

But health authorities opine otherwise, saying this is the lowest figure in the past four years, claiming they have exercised significant control over the situation by taking preventive measures. As many as 5856 cases were reported in 2015, 4719 in 2016, 3520 by 2017 and 1957 in 2018. All the comparative figures are upto October 20 in the given years only related to government hospital and 18 health centers in Nuh. It is indeed embarrassing that Delhi is just 75 kms away and Gurugram 52 kms away where best of health facilities are available, from Nuh still this district has been reckoned as one of the most backward district in the city and is marred by infectious ailments like malaria this year due to negligence of sanitation and health facilities year after year. District epidemiologist threw light on paucity of lab staff and sub-centers (which have one ANM , worker and lab technician) in the district

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saying “There is only one lab technician in 36 sub-centers to test the malaria in the district. Now ANM and nursing staff are trying to manage malaria examination through rapid diagnostic kits. Many times patients have to return without getting their tests done. As per norms there should be one sub-center over a population 5000 people. This way Nuh, which is so susceptible for diseases , should have 100 sub-centers.” The authorities accept that malaria is going to be a scourge in the area until something is done to an open drain known as Ujina that runs through Faridabad to Rajasthan covering 39 susceptible villages of Nuh which come in grip of malaria every year.

Ujina affected area bears two-thirds of total malaria cases across the state. According to sources, in 1996 outbreak, 1300 people had died of malaria in the area. Punhana area of Nuh had witnessed an outbreak in 2015, leading to the death of 92 people, two of which were confirmed due to malaria, while the rest 90 were suspected. Since then, there had been several suspected cases, but none confirmed by the health authority. District epidemiologist V N Tiwari said that health dept also used Gambusia fish in the drain to feed on the mosquito larvae but the method became ineffective when the fish got awashed with every rain.

Tiwari said, “The 350km-long and 200ft-deep drain known as Ujina, is the main cause of malaria in Nuh, year after year. After the rainy season, the accumulated water stagnates in it and mosquitoes breed in abundance. The 20km-stretch of drain which passes through Nuh, has 39 villages, which report 90% of all malaria cases in the district. Ujina affected area is only 9% of Nuh area,” he said. Though all hospitals and health centres complain of vacancies, the state government has paid special heed to Nuh’s needs and sanctioned 80 posts for malaria workers this year on priority basis, 40 of whom have already joined. The remaining are likely to join by next month. Chief medical officer Rajiv Batish said, “Earlier, we used to get 40 malaria workers sanctioned by the state government.

From May onwards this year, we hired 50 additional workers on deputation from neighbouring districts for five months. Besides them, a number of ANMs (auxiliary nurse midwives), anganwadi workers and helpers from primary and community health centres were also engaged in door-to-door survey of vulnerable villages, just as the malaria season started,” he said. He said not only would these teams use methods like anti-larval spray, fogging, etc., to control breeding of mosquito larvae inside the villages, but blood samples of those suspected to be ill with malaria were taken on the spot and medicines provided to patients from nearby health centres and local hospitals as required

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