Malariometry in district Ratnagiri during 1988-1993.
Ratnagiri, a coastal district situated in the western part of Maharashtra, is stratified as 'Non-Problem District' as far as Malaria is concerned based on API, topography, rainfall, vector species, Vulnerability etc. Konkan rail project was launched in 1991 and 6 out of 9 blocks of districts Ratnagiri are penetrated by the rail-line. The local ecology of the district is disturbed on account of the project, which is expected to favor malarial transmission. A study based on secondary data was undertaken with following objectives: To assess various operational indicators under NMEP during 1988-93 in the district with respect to their quantitative and qualitative fulfillment. To assess API in the district during same period in the context of inception of Konkan rail. It disclosed that the operational indicators like SPR, SFR & Pf Percentage showed upward trend since 1991 i.e. the year of inception of the Konkan rail project. With ABER consistently above 10% & concordance of the cross-checking results above 96%, the estimate of API becomes more meaningful. Though API shows upward trend, it was never above 2 during 1988-93. Less number of positive cases were found in Active Surveillance during 1988 to 1993. The contribution of Drug Distribution Centres (DDCs) is almost negligible in the district. In-depth analysis of positive cases revealed that the immigrants suffered more & May to July was the season for malaria transmission in the district during the said period. More people above 15 yrs. and more males were found malaria positive which may be because of more outdoor life of this group. Block wise analysis revealed that Mandanged & Khed Blocks showed API more than 2 since 1992. Paradoxically, Mandangad is a coastal block without rail-line, while Khed block is situated away from seashore but has rail-line. More irrigation, less adequate surveillance because of staff vacancy & nonfunctional Drug Distribution Centres (DDCs), more losses to radical treatment are the probable factors responsible for higher API in Mandangad and Khed blocks as compared with the rest of the blocks from the District Ratnagiri.
Jotkar
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Directorate of Health Services, Govt. Dental College Building, Bombay.
Ambhurkar
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Mugade
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D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D009874:Operations Research; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D011890:Railroads; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons