The Hindu 19.04.2010
Six malaria test centres opened
Staff Correspondent
The unit at Wenlock hospital operates round the clock
Free tablets given to persons who
test positive
MANGALORE: People can get free blood test done for malaria at six centres in the city, according to Malaria Officer in Mangalore City Corporation Deepak Bolar.
These centres can provide the test report in an hour and also give tablets free of cost. The centres are at the following places: First floor in the city corporation building at Lalbagh; Lady Hill Circle; Bejai; Jeppu; Bunder and the Government Wenlock Hospital. The laboratory at the Wenlock hospital functions round the clock.
If the report of any person is found positive for malaria, the affected person can get tablets free of cost in these centres. The doctor has warned against self-medication for high fever. He said that a police constable here was reported to have died of malaria, recently. When enquired, it was found that the deceased was into self-medication initially, and had ignored the fever. After studying the medical report of a hospital, where he was first admitted, it was found that the patient was suffering from mixed malaria. The doctor said that he did not study the medical report of another hospital, where the constable reportedly died.
The advantage of using “medicated mosquito nets” was that mosquitoes coming in contact with them would be paralysed. In 2008, the corporation had distributed 3,000 such nets among construction workers and hostels in the city, he claimed.
According to the malaria control cell in the corporation, the 20,083 malaria cases reported here in 2005 was the highest in recent times. The immediate next year, it was reduced to 15,664 cases and in 2007, it was 10,930, he said.
According to the cell, there were 19 malaria cases reported in 1990. It shot up to 3,907 in 1993.
