(IN): Assam training on disease Foresters combat malaria

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Assam training on disease Foresters combat malaria

- Assam training on disease*

 

A STAFF REPORTER

 

*Guwahati, July 14: *After chasing timber smugglers and battling militants

deep inside the forests of Karbi Anglong, Assam forest personnel are now up

against another dreaded enemy — malaria.

 

A forest official said at least 30 per cent of the department's employees,

including a top Indian Forest Service official, was down with fever.

 

Sushil Daila, the divisional forest officer of Karbi Anglong (West), was

admitted to a nursing home here on Saturday. Daila has been in the thick of

action against timber smugglers recently.

 

The situation is such that the department is, for the first time, holding

health camps for its workers serving in remote forest camps. " It is not our

job, but we are left with no option, " the divisional forest officer of Karbi

Anglong (East), J.N. Hazarika, said.

 

District malaria officer Bipul Goswami said, " We have provided training to

forest employees for the first time to take necessary precautionary

measures. " Rapid diagnostic kits are also being given to the employees to

help early detection of the disease, he added.

 

Karbi Anglong is among the top 10 malaria-prone areas in the country. It was

in the district's Manza area in 1973 that malaria showed resistance to

chloroquine tablets for the first time in the world.

 

Goswami said 32 people had died of the disease in the district in the past

two months. While forest employees are suffering from the disease, no death

has been reported among them so far.

 

Daila, who is recovering, said from his hospital bed that he and his men had

to spend long hours deep inside Dhansiri reserve forest to stop timber

smugglers from felling trees. " We have been trying our best to protect

valuable timber, but it is not an easy task to chase away armed smugglers

inside mosquito-infested jungles, " he added.

 

Daila and his men have also been attacked by militants for opposing felling

of trees. In fact, the forest department has appealed to Dispur to hand over

Dhansiri forest to the army.

 

Hazarika said the department recently organised a health check-up camp on

the fringe area of Miyungdisa reserve forest for forest employees and

villagers.

 

" We detected about 30 malaria cases during the two-hour camp, " he added.

 

Goswami said his officials were carrying out house-to-house surveillance to

detect malaria cases.

 

" It is not an easy task given the rough and hilly terrain and remote

location of several villages, " he added.

 

 

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