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Allahabad, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar and Pilibhit sit on insecticide, disease outbreak waits in the wings
Vijay Pratap Singh
Posted online: Saturday , April 05, 2008 at 11:08:56
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-...e-disease-outbreak-waits-in-the-wings/292703/
Allahabad, April 4 In a laxity, which may cause an outbreak of vector-borne diseases, health department officials of four districts of the state have failed to procure and use the insecticide allotted to them last year.
Notably, the districts, Allahabad, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar and Pilibhit are already declared sensitive for malaria and other vector-borne diseases.
Two hundred litres of malathion was allotted to each of these districts for cold fogging, a technique used to spray insecticides. The insecticide stocks are still lying in the District Malaria Offices of Lucknow and Rae Bareli and are reaching the date of expiry, government sources said.
The monetary loss of expiry of the insecticide may be only Rs 1.20 lakh, but without fogging, the diseases may grip the districts.
Several low-lying areas of Allahabad including Nayapura, Kydganj, George Town, Dariyabad, Baluaghat, Naini and Daraganj are already affected by malaria and other diseases, and people are undergoing treatment. Residents of Dariyabad have warned the Allahabad CMO to launch an agitation if fogging is not done in their area within a week.
Concerned over the laxity of Chief Medical Officers of the districts, Additional Director of Malaria and Vector Borne Diseases had, in a letter dated February 13, warned the CMOs that if the insecticide expired without use, they would be held responsible.
Expressing his ignorance about the issue, Allahabad CMO Rajnikant Gupta said that Dr V K Rai, in-charge of vector borne diseases, would be the right person to comment on it. Rai, however, could not explain the non-procurement of the insecticide and said that he had written to the government for procuring it.
Vijay Pratap Singh
Posted online: Saturday , April 05, 2008 at 11:08:56
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-...e-disease-outbreak-waits-in-the-wings/292703/
Allahabad, April 4 In a laxity, which may cause an outbreak of vector-borne diseases, health department officials of four districts of the state have failed to procure and use the insecticide allotted to them last year.
Notably, the districts, Allahabad, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar and Pilibhit are already declared sensitive for malaria and other vector-borne diseases.
Two hundred litres of malathion was allotted to each of these districts for cold fogging, a technique used to spray insecticides. The insecticide stocks are still lying in the District Malaria Offices of Lucknow and Rae Bareli and are reaching the date of expiry, government sources said.
The monetary loss of expiry of the insecticide may be only Rs 1.20 lakh, but without fogging, the diseases may grip the districts.
Several low-lying areas of Allahabad including Nayapura, Kydganj, George Town, Dariyabad, Baluaghat, Naini and Daraganj are already affected by malaria and other diseases, and people are undergoing treatment. Residents of Dariyabad have warned the Allahabad CMO to launch an agitation if fogging is not done in their area within a week.
Concerned over the laxity of Chief Medical Officers of the districts, Additional Director of Malaria and Vector Borne Diseases had, in a letter dated February 13, warned the CMOs that if the insecticide expired without use, they would be held responsible.
Expressing his ignorance about the issue, Allahabad CMO Rajnikant Gupta said that Dr V K Rai, in-charge of vector borne diseases, would be the right person to comment on it. Rai, however, could not explain the non-procurement of the insecticide and said that he had written to the government for procuring it.