SILCHAR, May 7 � As many as seven youths have been detected with Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) and Plasmodium vivax (Pv) protozoan parasites, popularly known as malaria virus, from Choto Doodhpatil Grant area in Cachar district, according to the district health department.
A total of 158 residents of Choto Doodhpatil, 3 km from here, have undergone blood tests through the Rapid Diagnosis Kit and Abu Bauri (25), Gopi Rabi Das (18) Shamal Bauri (22), Subhojit Kalindi (18) and Ramdhan Dushad (24) were found to be Pf-positive cases.
Dr Sudip Jyoti Das, the in-charge Joint Director of Health Services, Cachar, said that the people detected with malaria viruses have a history of visiting Rangachiya, known to be a malaria-prone zone in Mizoram, for jobs. �There have been no positive cases of malaria in Choto Doodhpatil. These people went to the malaria-prone areas in Mizoram and must have been infected by the virus there,� Dr Das asserted.
Meanwhile, three people, who recently died in the same locality, were believed to have been affected by either malaria or encephalitis. However, Dr Das informed that the medical reports of Jitendra Bagrati confirm that he was suffering from liver failure and Leku Kalambir (20) was a victim of septicemia.
�We are conducting PVPF tests and other necessary blood tests of the affected persons and adequate measures are being taken to prevent the spread of the disease further,� Dr Das said.
