Malignant bite
SOUTH Bihar is reeling under the attack of mosquitoes. A malignant and drugresistant malaria has struck on an epidemic scale, particularly in the tribal areas. According to unofficial estimates, the disease claims nearly 10,000 lives every year. No official statistics are available for 1995. According to C P Thakur, professor emeritus at the Patna Medical College, 50 per cent of malaria cases are of malignant malaria originating from Thailand.
Malignant malaria attacks the red blood corpuscles and the small capillaries of the brain. The symptoms of the disease are similar to those of meningitis which has led to confusion in its diagnosis. A large number of deaths are caused either due to wrong diagnosis, lack of treatment or drug failure. The patient goes into coma and dies if the disease is not treated early. In 1995, more than 20,000 people died of malaria, kala azar, diarrhoea and jaundice.