Ronan Kelly
Retired 2020
Malaria claims two children
- 24 Tripura jawans in hospital with disease
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Agartala, April 28: Two children died of malaria and 24 Tripura State Rifles jawans have contracted the vector-borne disease in Longtarai valley subdivision of Dhalai district.
The affected areas that fall under the subdivision are inhabited by the Noatia, Reang and the Chakma communities.
Though health department sources here pleaded ignorance, 20 children have been admitted to primary health centres in the Chhawmanu area, nearly 150km from here.
The 24 TSR jawans of the 8th and 9th battalions have been admitted to the subdivisional hospital at Manu in the Longtarai hill range, 125km southeast of Agartala town.
The superintendent of the hospital, Rabindra Koloi, said all the jawans were suffering from malaria.
The chief medical officer of Longtarai valley subdivision, S.K. Chakma, said: ?It is some other fever caused by water-borne viruses that affected the people after they drank contaminated water.?
Sources in the office of SDO, Longtarai valley, however, said Jugal Reang, 11, had died of malaria in Jamircherra village and a girl, Bithi Dewan, 8, died yesterday of malaria in Purathal village.
?Our problem is erratic power supply in the Chhawmanu primary health centre, shortage of medicine and lack of space,? Chakma said.
He said he had suggested the health directorate in February to organise special health camps but lack of staff and preoccupation of doctors and nurses with other programmes had stood in the way.
Villagers from Gobindabari, Natinmanu, Putinmanu, Rajdhar and Malidhar villages had laid a ?virtual siege? to the Chhawmanu primary health centre and at least 15 children were lying on the floor of the centre, he said.
Koloi said: ?The jawans are the easy victims of malaria. While manning the camps in inhospitable areas, they are bitten by mosquitoes. Utpal Roy, a jawan, has contracted malaria six times in the past six months.?
Koloi said at the primary health centres and hospitals of Dhalai district, more than a hundred TSR jawans were undergoing treatment.
?Many of them will be shifted to GB Hospital, Agartala, but at this moment our position is difficult because so many patients are coming for admission,? Koloi said.
The Opposition alleged a higher toll. As part of a malaria eradication programme now only tablets are distributed among the villagers and disinfectants sprayed.
In the remote areas of South Tripura, the government plans to distribute specially made masks among TSR jawans.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100429/jsp/northeast/story_12391014.jsp
- 24 Tripura jawans in hospital with disease
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Agartala, April 28: Two children died of malaria and 24 Tripura State Rifles jawans have contracted the vector-borne disease in Longtarai valley subdivision of Dhalai district.
The affected areas that fall under the subdivision are inhabited by the Noatia, Reang and the Chakma communities.
Though health department sources here pleaded ignorance, 20 children have been admitted to primary health centres in the Chhawmanu area, nearly 150km from here.
The 24 TSR jawans of the 8th and 9th battalions have been admitted to the subdivisional hospital at Manu in the Longtarai hill range, 125km southeast of Agartala town.
The superintendent of the hospital, Rabindra Koloi, said all the jawans were suffering from malaria.
The chief medical officer of Longtarai valley subdivision, S.K. Chakma, said: ?It is some other fever caused by water-borne viruses that affected the people after they drank contaminated water.?
Sources in the office of SDO, Longtarai valley, however, said Jugal Reang, 11, had died of malaria in Jamircherra village and a girl, Bithi Dewan, 8, died yesterday of malaria in Purathal village.
?Our problem is erratic power supply in the Chhawmanu primary health centre, shortage of medicine and lack of space,? Chakma said.
He said he had suggested the health directorate in February to organise special health camps but lack of staff and preoccupation of doctors and nurses with other programmes had stood in the way.
Villagers from Gobindabari, Natinmanu, Putinmanu, Rajdhar and Malidhar villages had laid a ?virtual siege? to the Chhawmanu primary health centre and at least 15 children were lying on the floor of the centre, he said.
Koloi said: ?The jawans are the easy victims of malaria. While manning the camps in inhospitable areas, they are bitten by mosquitoes. Utpal Roy, a jawan, has contracted malaria six times in the past six months.?
Koloi said at the primary health centres and hospitals of Dhalai district, more than a hundred TSR jawans were undergoing treatment.
?Many of them will be shifted to GB Hospital, Agartala, but at this moment our position is difficult because so many patients are coming for admission,? Koloi said.
The Opposition alleged a higher toll. As part of a malaria eradication programme now only tablets are distributed among the villagers and disinfectants sprayed.
In the remote areas of South Tripura, the government plans to distribute specially made masks among TSR jawans.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100429/jsp/northeast/story_12391014.jsp