71% malaria patients untraced for follow-up measures: North corp

NEW DELHI: Of over 300 cases of malaria reported among residents of Delhi, officials of the civic bodies have been unable to trace more than 71%, to take appropriate anti-vector measures.

Three hundred cases of malaria have been reported among Delhi residents, of which 150 were recorded in the first three weeks of September, according to the weekly report released by the North Municipal Corporation of Delhi on Monday.

Delhi, conventionally a state with a lower malaria count, aims to eliminate local transmission of the disease by next year. Across the country, 132,968 cases of malaria and 27 deaths have been recorded till July, according to the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP).

“Whenever a positive dengue case is reported, our officers go to the location and take a detailed history of the patient. This helps us determine whether the person actually lives there and whether they travelled somewhere during the incubation period, for usually a week or two. When we find cases from Delhi, we check about 50 to 100 houses nearby to see whether there is breeding, and spray insecticides and take measures, to prevent the infection-carrying mosquitoes from spreading it,” said Dr Ashok Rawat, district health officer, north body.

In cases where patients travel from neighbouring states to Delhi for treatment, corporation officials write to district authorities concerned to carry out vectorcontrol measures. Another 373 such cases were reported from Delhi hospitals till September 21, according to the report.

The number of malaria cases that have gone untraced have increased over the years. In 2016, only 6.51% cases could not be traced, which increased to 52.9% in 2017, 66.4% in 2018 and 71.7% so far this year.

“There has been staff shortage in the department so far and appropriate steps were not taken to fill up the posts. Against the 97 sanctioned posts for employees who carry out such investigations, we had 14 people. Around 29 people were promoted internally a couple of months, but there is still a shortage,” said a senior official from the north body, on condition of anonymity.

To ensure that cases get traced easily, corporation officials have now asked hospitals to ensure that a working number of the patient is maintained in records.

The corporation is also in the process of making malaria a notifiable disease, meaning all hospitals — including private ones — have to report any malaria patient to the respective civic body they treat to improve the surveillance system.

“Not being able to trace patients does hamper the aim of elimination. The surveillance system needs to be galvanised to ensure that every last case can be traced,” said Dr PL Joshi, former director, NVBDCP