THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Fresh cases of malaria are being recorded in Thiruvananthapuram, denting the district administration’s efforts to eliminate the disease. Recently, a new case was reported, taking the total in the district to nine this year. With the influx of migrants gradually increasing, the District Medical Office (DMO) will set up a special screening facility at the Central railway station for passengers arriving from malaria-endemic areas.
“We have sought the permission of the Railways to launch the programme. We have procured rapid diagnostic testing kits for the purpose using the plan fund earmarked for the migrant population. We have comprehensive plans for communicable and non-communicable diseases in the district.
Kerala is not malaria-endemic. The latest case was reported in October, following which we decided to step up surveillance,” said a health official. The aim of the initiative is to diagnose the disease at its source, added the official.
“Almost all malaria cases are imported. We have resumed organising screening camps at construction sites and labour camps. We suspended the activities due to the pandemic. We will be collecting blood samples of passengers at the railway station so that we can immediately begin treating those who have symptoms. This will help prevent further spread of the disease,” said the official.
As per the statistics with the labour department, around 16,000 migrant labourers have arrived in the state so far. A senior official of the department said they have resumed issuing Awas biometric cards to migrant labourers arriving in the state as part of their healthcare project. “Many migrant workers returned after Deepavali. It will be good if we have facilities to screen them for malaria,” said an official with the Railways.