Monsoon Malady: Stagnant water is breeding ground of Anopheles in Kanjkiro village of Bermo block of Bokaro. Picture by Pankaj Singh

Bokaro, Oct. 8: Quintals of DDT powder have been sprayed and medicated mosquito nets and medicines worth lakhs of rupees distributed in the district in Sepetmber. But to little effect, it seems.

A total of 562 residents here were detected with Plasmodium vivax — a protozoal parasite carried by female Anopheles mosquito and responsible for causing recurring malaria — last month after blood samples of thousands of people living in rural areas were subjected to rapid diagnosis.

Several thousand villagers in Kasmar, Petarwar, Nawadih, Chandankyari, Gomia, Bermo, Chas and Jaridih had complained of high fever and bodyache. The highest number hailed from Kasmar and Petarwar blocks, where residents had objected to spraying of DDT powder because of its pungent odour.

Of the 562 detected with P. vivax, which is not considered fatal but can cause death if medication is ignored, 227 also carry Plasmodium falciparum, the fatal strain.

The malaria officer of the district, along with several doctors, are camping in the interiors, where even patients suffering from viral fever fear that they have malaria, but do not want to go to hospitals.

Bokaro civil surgeon Pramod Kumar told The Telegraph that several teams of doctors and health officials were camping in different blocks of the district and trying their best to check the scourge of the disease in villages, where monsoon water has remained stagnant.

Villages in Kasmar, Nawadih, Gomia, Bermo and Petarwar blocks are being given special attention.

“Blood samples of people suffering from fever are being tested and those found with P. vivax are being administered full dose of prescribed medicines for free. Besides, we are spraying DDT and lime. Distribution of medicated mosquito nets and medicines is being done on a war footing as the number of malaria cases rise during monsoon,” said a health official.

Malaria cure clinics have been opened in all blocks of the district and villagers are being given medical tips on how to avoid the fatal sting, especially in the forest zones of Gomia, Nawadih, Kasmar and Petarwar. Round-the-clock vigil by a health team is also being ensured, Kumar said.