Asia-Pacific Daily Report

Health officials from eastern India's Bihar state said on Sunday (August 9) that at least six people had died of cerebral malaria among more than 1,000 infections in the state's Munger district, the Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) reported on Monday (August 10). Locals in Munger district claim that 30 people, including half a dozen children, have died from the disease, but health officials have denied this, according to IANS. However, Asian News International (ANI) reported on Tuesday (August 11) that cerebral malaria had claimed 25 lives in the past two weeks in Munger District. Additionally, the report said results from recent tests had confirmed 666 people had contracted the disease. Dr. B Sahu, a malaria officer, told ANI, "The tests performed through fresh kits have confirmed 666 out of 1,841 patients suffering from high fever or other related symptoms are afflicted by cerebral malaria." R.N. Pandey, district health official, said most of the casualties had occurred in Haveli Kharagpur, a sub-division of Munger, in the last two weeks, and that nearly 80 villages in the Haveli Kharagpur had reported cases of cerebral malaria, IANS reported. However, according to ANI, cerebral malaria had spread in 70 villages in Munger district. As the case count rose, Joint Director in the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry, Dr. S N Sharma, started and led a four-member central team to the affected villages to help assist in efforts to identify the cause of the spread in the district. Health authorities are doing everything to help control the spread of the disease. Cerebral malaria collectively involves the clinical manifestations of the Plasmodium falciparum malaria that causes changes in mental status and coma. The disease is an acute, widespread disease of the brain which is accompanied by fever. If a patient does not receive medical attention for cerebral malaria within 24-72 hours, the disease can be fatal and holds a mortality ratio between 25-50%.

Source:

· http://www.gulfnews.com/world/India/10338814.html

· http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?a=jilnubgbdij&title=Fresh_tests_show_666_pers...

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