Padmavati Prabhu
Panaji: For effective monitoring of imported malaria cases among the migrant population, health authorities have initiated steps to develop an app which will help in tracking malaria patients.
To begin with, four primary health centres will be taken up for the project on pilot basis. The app is being developed by BITS Pilani, Goa.
“Though Goa has no indigenous cases, we still face the problem of imported cases. The National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) and the Goa Unit of National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR) have jointly decided to conduct a study through an app which will help in tracking the imported cases among migrant population,” said Dr Kalpana Mahatme, State Programme Officer and Deputy Director of NVBDCP.
Dr Mahatme informed that they will soon shortlist the four health centres to implement the project.
“Once the health centres are finalised, the health officials will ask the construction contractors in the area to intimate the health centres about the migrant workers employed with them. The health workers along with NIMR officials will go to the construction site and get the app installed on the mobiles of the workers,” she said.
Once the app is installed, NIMR as well as health officials will collect their blood samples.
“While NIMR will collect the blood samples for carrying out the investigation on Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), health officials will collect the blood samples for smear for malarial parasite. This data will be fed on the app. This will help in identifying asymptomatic cases and also the low density parasites in patients. Additionally, it will also help us in treating them,” she said.
“Sometimes, the workers with valid health cards visit their native villages and while returning, they may carry the parasite. The app will also help in tracking the patients where exactly they have caught the infection,” she said.
