Security forces are facing threat due to outbreak of deadly malaria in tribal Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. The battle-weary security forces are not just fighting against the outlawed CPI (Maoist), but are also up against the malarial mosquitoes.
And sources in the security forces claimed that the anti-malarial medicines that have been prescribed are not effective. “Where do we go now?” asked a security personnel who was admitted in Jagdalpur Hospital to the media.
The jawans are mostly from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). State police personnel too are diagnosed with malaria. In the last five months, as many as seven jawans have died due to the disease.
“It is a big concern. The large number of cases of malaria reported from the camps has to an extent affected the anti-Maoist operations as well,” said Bastar inspector general of police SRP Kalluri.
According to Dr. Sanjay Basak, who is the only district malaria (health) officer in Bastar, said, “The usual medicines chloroquine and primaquine are not showing any significant result. We have asked for new and more powerful drugs to counter the spread of malaria.”
“The challenge becomes more acute when the jawans in poor health have to be air-lifted from inaccessible and thickly-forested terrain on a short notice,” a CRPF officer said. There is a pressing need to distribute more anti-malaria kits with effective medicines.
“Since we have opened new camps, it was expected that troops will become vulnerable to malaria. The mosquitoes may have become immune to antimalarial drugs, so we are seeking advice of experts for more effective medicines. This year, the prevalence of malaria cases are more,” told DIG CRPF KK Sinha from Jagdalpur.
With some senior officers are falling ill, the command of operations against the left-wing extremists is now being directly supervised by the Bastar IG.
Plasmodium falciparum which is transmitted by female Anopheles mosquito is known for prevalence in Bastar, and is cited as a drug-resistant variety of plasmodium.
Nearly 200 jawans are diagnosed with Malaria.With the threat becoming more and more challenging, the Chhattisgarh state health services department has geared up to work out remedial measures.