Malaria claims 89 people in Jalpaiguri

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Siliguri, Jul 13: At least 89 people, mostly tribal people, in West Bengal's two districts- Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling- have died of suspected malaria in past two months, official sources said today.

While malaria claimed 77 people in Jalpaiguri in past two months, Darjeeling's Naxalbari block had twelve victims in the mosquito bitten disease in past ten days, sources confirmed.

Meanhile, Alipurduar Avivabhak Manch, an NGO, called 12-hour Alipurduar sub-division bandh on July 14 to protest alleged failure of the government to prevent the disease.

Besides 77 deaths, mostly children and aged people of tribal communities, over 5000 people were affected by the fever in Alipurduar block I, II and Jayanti and Raja Bhatkhawa.

Chief Medical Officer of Jalpaiguri block Bhushan Chakraborty while accepting the toll of 77 in Malaria, he denied the charges of "inactivity" of the department to prevent the disease.

The worst affected areas were Patkapra tea estate, middle Patka para, Fodkardhanga, Biraguri, Satkhodali, Topchikatha and Ghagra areas of Alipurduar Block one and Dhalkar, Saltolabari, Panialguri and Maghedradabr in Alipurduar blcok II. Besdies Kalchini block, Jayanti and Rajabhatkawa were the areas where malaria has taken an epidemic form, according to Manch assistant secretary Sushmita Chatterjee.

She told UNI the district health department was yet to spray DDT, an essential powder to prevent disease.

Mr Chakraborty told UNI that necessary preventive measures were taken against spreading of malaria.

He said a team was already investigating the cause of the disease in the tea gardens.

After Jalpaiguri district, malaria struck in Naxalbari block of Darjeeling district in which so far 12 people have died, sources said.

UNI

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