30 Reported PF Malaria Deaths in UP in Past 24 Hours

New Delhi:  At least 30 people have reportedly died in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly, Badaun and Hardoi districts of Uttar Pradesh due to plasmodium falciparum (PF) malaria fever in the past  24 hours. The three districts have been facing cases of fever since the past one month, yet no proper measures are being taken to prevent casualties, say people in the area.

All government hospitals of Bareilly district are reportedly choc a bloc with patients, because of lack of facilities in hospitals located  in Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur and Badaun.  

In the last 24 hours, four people have died from this fever in Rukhra village of Badaun. In Nawada Darobast of Shahjahanpur, two, two in Nigohi, one in Budhanpur. 

So far, 1,500 malaria patients are being treated in Bareilly district hospital. According to the information, seven in Bareilly district, 17 in Badayun, five in Shahjahanpur, one person in Pilibhit has died due to the fever.

Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Sidharth Nath Singh, who had visited Bareilly last week, had said the government would undertake a ‘death audit’ to find out the number of those who have died due to the fever.

He also suspended Additional Director (Health) SK Agarwal, Bareilly district Malaria Officer Pankaj Jain due to rising number of  deaths, and District Health Officer Ashok Kumar and Jagatpur Hospital in-charge Sunita Bhardwaj because of a lack of cleanliness.

Meanwhile, the state government has constituted three teams of doctors to look into the cases in Bareilly and Badaun, UP DG (health) Padmakar Singh told reporters in Bareilly.

Necessary medicines are being distributed, fogging and spraying of larvacides have been undertaken as well, he said.

Speaking with Newsclick, Dr. Ved Prakash of King George's Medical University, Lucknow said, " Plasmodium Falciparum is very dangerous fever but treatment is available in our country. Firstly, we should not panic in this condition,” he said, adding that “Applying ice or a cold compress can help because sometimes the mosquitoe bites get really red and hot and angry-looking.” 

(With inputs from Bheem Manohar)