BERHAMPUR: After the onset of monsoon, malaria is spreading fast in Tumba panchayat of Patrapur block in Ganjam district. The worst hit are the inmates of Gouduni Ashram School and Lukasahi Kanyashram School.Goudini and Lukasahi have 375 and 200 students, respectively.
Sources said after students of both the schools returned to hostels after summer vacation last week, some of them were suffering from fever. Initially, the authorities thought the fever was due to change of weather and distributed paracetamol tablets. However, when more than 200 students of both the schools suffered from high fever, they took 45 of them to Patrapur hospital on Saturday.
After blood samples were tested, 20 students were found malaria positive. After treatment, the students were sent back to their hostels. On Sunday, malaria supervisor of Patrapur block Jaydev Behera, along with a team, reached Gouduni school and collected blood samples of around 200 students of which 100 were found malaria positive. ‘‘We will collect blood samples of students of Lukasahi Kanyashram School on Monday,’’ said Behera.
Meanwhile, a team of Patrapur hospital, led by Dr LN Panigrahy, visited both the schools with medicines. It is suspected that malaria is spreading due to poor sanitation.
Collector Prem Chandra Choudhary has directed health officials to send a team of doctors to the affected areas. He also directed officials of Patrapur to take steps to improve the sanitation system.