Jamshedpur: A day after a 13-year-old boy of Bakdakocha village under Dumaria block in East Singhbhum district died of Plasmodium falciparum (PF), commonly known as cerebral malaria, on Wednesday, health officials on Thursday diagnosed four more malaria cases at the village.“Shekhar Mardi was admitted to the Dumaria community health centre (CHC) on Wednesday and referred to the MGM Medical College and Hospital as his condition deteriorated, but he died at the CHC before he could be shifted,” district surveillance officer Dr Asad on Thursday said.A 10-member health team, including a malaria officer, the medical officer in-charge of the Dumaria CHC, seven multi-purpose workers (MPWs), is camping at Bakdakocha village to conduct screening of residents in Bakdakocha and nearby villages. Three women and a man were diagnosed as suffered from malaria on Thursday, he added.Over 6,500 malaria cases and seven malaria-related deaths have been reported in East Singhbhum till mid-Oct this year, data revealed. “There has been a considerable decline in malaria cases over the past few months. Hardly two to three cases are being reported every month,” district malaria officer Dr Moiz Ansari said.“Our team is trying to ascertain the source of the infection. Routine malaria screening carried out in Dumaria in Aug and Sept had not detected any positive cases,” Dr Asad said.
