Jamshedpur: The toll in the cerebral malaria outbreak in East Singhbhum district climbed to four on Monday after a one-year-old girl died at MGM Medical College and Hospital (MGMMCH) in Jamshedpur. Kushboo Sardar was undergoing treatment at MGMMCH for four days.Her elder sister, Subola Sardar, also succumbed to cerebral malaria on June 27. Health officials said 24 cerebral malaria patients are under treatment, while more than 50 have tested positive for malaria in Potka block. Officials said the condition of all admitted patients remains stable.District civil surgeon Dr Sahir Pall said more than 2,000 tests were conducted between June 25 and 29.The screening drive detected 24 cerebral malaria cases and over 50 malaria cases. Patients are being treated at MGMMCH, Sadar Hospital and the community health centre in Potka.Pall said the department has intensified surveillance and increased deployment of health workers in the affected areas to contain the outbreak. “We have divided the entire block into 10 zones, with 18 multi-purpose workers deployed in each zone. In addition, a team comprising a community health officer, an auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) and a sahiya has been stationed in every zone,” he said.Potka MLA Sanjib Sardar, who visited the affected villages on Monday, blamed the Centre’s past policies for the outbreak. He alleged that the disease spread rapidly because the Union govt discontinued funding and implementation of the national DDT spraying programme nearly a decade ago.
