Combating malaria
The World Malaria Day was observed in Bangladesh as elsewhere in the world on Wednesday with the theme Ready to Beat Malaria. At a press briefing organised by Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) at the National Press Club in the capital marking the day, it was revealed that about 93 per cent of the total deaths caused by malaria are reported from the three Chittagong Hill Tract (CHT) districts: Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban.
Bangladesh was once considered as one of the malaria endemic countries in South Asia. Chikungunya menace had caused a lot of problems in the country in the recent past. Many people bore the brunt of the disease. Then the menace of dengue struck that also caused considerable worry. Nearly 10 million people of the country are at the malaria risk. The risk is high particularly in the three hill districts, and nearly 93 per cent people who suffer from malaria are from the three districts. As malaria is transmitted through the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito, there is an urgent need to eradicate mosquito.
Malaria is a potentially life-threatening disease of the blood caused by a parasite, which is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected female mosquito. Cerebral malaria is fatal. Children and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to the disease. As Anopheles mosquitoes live in hills, forests and bushes, its not possible to completely eliminate this species of mosquito.
Scores of local and foreign tourists visit the CHT areas every year. Besides, government officers and employees have to work in the hilly districts. It is the responsibility of the government to protect them from the invasion of malaria. The people living in the hill districts, particularly those belonging to the low income group, have hardly any resistance against malaria. Their children mostly remain bare-bodied. This makes them susceptible to mosquito bites. Besides, there are impoverished people who do have mosquito nets to shield them against the attack of mosquitoes.
For preventive measures, people should use insecticidal net since evening and cover their hands and legs with cloth while going out of home at night. Unnecessary bushes in and around houses should be cut down and unnecessary water bodies should be filled up, which are breeding places of mosquito. Quick diagnosis of the disease and its treatment are of prime importance. What is needed now is raising awareness among people about the scourge of malaria. Advocacy, communication and social mobilisation, and mosquito control programmes should to be strengthened further.
