KARACHI, Oct 8: Cerebral malaria in children has risen considerably following the recent rains.
Dr Aisha Mehnaz, a senior paediatrician and office-bearer of the Pakistan Paediatric Association (Sindh) informed APP on Wednesday that 10 cases of cerebral malaria were reported at the Civil Hospital’s paediatric unit one - OPD during the last 30 days. The patients either belong to Lasbella (Balochistan) or Thatta and Manghopir (Karachi),
Dr Aisha said a similar number of cases were registered at the other two units of the hospital with unconscious child patients from remote and less developed areas pouring in.
One child inflicted with cerebral malaria was brought dead to the hospital, while another expired within a few hours after his arrival.
“These deaths were avoidable, had these children been referred on time,” she observed.
At the paediatric unit one, CHK, about 64 child patients reported with malaria during the last one month, with 41 of them detected with falciparum malaria (including 10 cases of cerebral) and 23 inflicted with vivax.
Pakistan falls in the endemic zone for malaria and also registers a high incidence of associated mortality and morbidity among all age groups, and mainly children.
Fever, anaemia, hepatosplenomegaly, cerebral malaria, jaundice and acute renal failure are common symptoms of severe falciparum malaria. The most affected age group falls between one to six years, and many are below one year of age and above six months.
Dr Aisha underscored the need to activate the malaria control program in all parts of the country with adequate provision.
Urging immediate provision for mosquito repellent, mosquito nets, immediate arrangement for spray in high-risk areas and long-term medical camps to tackle malaria cases in the areas reporting surge in the incidence, the paediatrician stressed the need to review WHO recommendations not to administer prophylactic medication in malaria-prone areas.
She said there was a need to initiate the prophylactic drug therapy as there had been instances when infants born to malaria-positive mothers were also found to be malaria positive.
She said a multi-pronged strategy with major emphasis on prevention was required and medical professionals, particularly those operating in remote areas or urban slums, must undergo refresher courses on a regular basis.
She further said vivax malaria cases were being increasingly reported at private clinics in the city unhygienic conditions in the city allowed mosquitoes to survive and flourish at the cost of public health.—APP
