The Karnataka government has allocated Rs 8 crore for the annual malaria and filaria control programme, besides a World Bank assistance for filarial control by 2007.

According to statistics released on the epidemiological data by the National Anti-Malarial Programme in Karnataka up to July 2006, the malaria cases in 2005 were 46,733 and by July 2006, it has reduced to 33,125 cases. The incidence of plasmodium falciparum, a killer parasite transmitted through mosquito, has come down from 9,142 in 2005 to 6,439 during the period.

In the case of culex mosquitoes causing Filaria, disease cases were 2,840 in July 2006 as against 4,352 in July in the districts of Gulbarga, Bidar, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Bagalkot, Uttara Kannada and Raichur.

"We have been able to control malaria only because of the regular Information, Education Communication (IEC) programmes. Awareness was created among people in the districts, which are prone to mosquito diseases. The importance of personal protection and cleanliness of surroundings were highlighted. The directorate also ensured that the public health engineering department made efforts to prevent water stagnation, clean up of lakes and water bodies which are potential breeding grounds of mosquitoes, Dr. HC Ramesh, joint director, Malaria & Filaria department, Karnataka Directorate of Health and Family Welfare, told Pharmabiz.

The directorate conducted a surveillance programme, with an active and passive component. Under the former, the field officers verified cases by door-to-door visit and in the latter, patients were screened at health camps organized in the districts. After the detection of the disease, curative efforts were undertaken in which drugs were prescribed. The field officers also embarked on anti larvae drive to destroy the mosquito eggs, apart from spaying insecticides like DDT, Malathion, Synthetic Pyrethroids and Larvacides. Fogging of mosquito breeding spots was also carried out. Environmental controls like releasing guppy fish in wells and gambusia fish in stagnant water surfaces like tanks to eat up the larvae were undertaken.

The state had reported 1,200 cases of Chikungunya this year and Union government supplied the insecticides for control.