Malaria prevention is becoming a challenge in Kapilvastu. According to the District Health Office, 33 people in Kapilvastu have been found malaria infected in the current financial year. Malaria has been found to be much higher in people coming from different places than in the locals.
Uday Chandra Chaurasiya, the Malaria Focal Person of the District Hospital, explained malaria is a communicable disease caused by the bite of female Anopheles mosquitoes. When a mosquito bites a person with malaria, it becomes infected. If this infected mosquito then bites another person, it can transmit the disease to them.
Narayan Prasad Chaudhary, Chief of the Health Office, said that infection was found in 24 people coming from the neighboring country. According to Health Focal Person Chaurasiya, more than 70% of the Nepalese who come back from neighboring countries are found to be infected by malaria.
In the financial year 2022/2023, 13 people in Kapilvastu were diagnosed with malaria, including 2 severe cases and 11 mild cases. However, in the current financial year, the number of malaria infections has increased to almost three times. According to the health office, 5,767 people went through malaria tests this year.
In Kapilvastu, government hospitals, primary health centers, and health posts provide free testing and treatment for malaria. The Chief of the Health Office, Chaudhary, mentioned that the District Health Office conducted a campaign on the occasion of World Malaria Day with the slogan, “Accelerating the fight against malaria for a more equitable world”.
Chaudhary additionally informed INSEC that the District Health Office identified malaria risk areas and conducted blood test programs. They also organized awareness campaigns at border crossings and communities, increased the distribution of mosquito nets, and promoted the use of insecticides in risk areas. These efforts aim to make the government’s malaria elimination program, 2025 successful.