7th of April, every year, is commemorated as World Health Day. The theme of this World Health day is ‘vector-borne diseases: Small bite, big threat’. This year, the day focuses on vector-borne diseases and protecting ourselves from these diseases.

Vector-borne diseases are diseases which are transmitted through small organisms such as mosquitoes, bugs, ticks, flies, bugs, and freshwater snails from person to person and place to place. These small organisms are called vectors. They can put our health at risk, at home and when we travel. Some of the common vector-borne diseases in India are malaria, dengue fever, kala-azar, filariasis, chikungunya and Japanese encephalitis.

According to the latest estimates of WHO, there were about 207 million cases of malaria in 2012 and an estimated 627,000 malaria-related deaths. Malaria is considered to be the most deadly vector-borne disease in the world. However, dengue is considered to be the fastest growing vector-borne disease in the world, with a 30-fold increase in disease incidence over the last 50 years, according to WHO. Both diseases are transmitted through mosquito bites. Malaria is endemic in most parts of India. Dengue is also prevalent throughout India in most of the metropolitan cities and towns like Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai and etc.

In 2013, the health information system (HIS) of the department of health (DOH), CTA reported 118 confirmed malarial cases from our Tibetan settlement in Odisha alone. Other Tibetan settlements that have reported significant malarial cases in 2013 are Bhandara, Mainpat, Miao Tezu and Tuting. We have also seen individual cases of malaria in Bylakupee, Kollegal, Bir and Dekyiling, thereby comprising a total of 248 malaria-related cases in our health centers.

In addition, dengue outbreaks in Delhi last year have led to increase in dengue cases in Samyeling Tibetan settlement of Delhi due to the effects of ongoing continuous public mobility and travel through Delhi. We had 156 cases of dengue fever in Samyeling Delhi alone in 2013. Delek Hospital reported 30 cases of dengue whereas 29 dengue cases were reported each from the hospitals of Bylakupee and Mundgod settlement in 2013.

In recent years, the department of health, CTA has made renewed commitments in combating these diseases through widespread public awareness, education and other control measures. With funding support from Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) in 2013, the department initiated a malaria awareness and prevention campaign in five Tibetan settlements of Mainpat, Bhandara, Miao, Tezu and Tuting, which are located in malaria endemic regions of India, and distributed around free and highly subsidized insecticide-treated bed nets to people as one of the most effective way to reduce contact with mosquitoes. This year, we are determined to distribute free and highly subsidized insecticide-treated bed nets to Tibetan people of Phuntsokling Tibetan settlement in Odisha state under the budget year of 2014-2015.

Both malaria and dengue fever are preventable as well as treatable. We can take the following steps in order to prevent and protect one from these diseases:

1. Know about these diseases and particularly, know about how you can protect yourself and your family from these deadly diseases.

2. Take personal precaution to avoid bites from mosquitoes, particularly at night, by using mosquito repellent creams, wearing long sleeved clothes, using anti-malarial insecticides and spray. Always sleep inside the insecticides treated bed nets if you live and travel to an endemic region of diseases like malaria.

3. Make all efforts to reduce mosquito breeding sites around your house like standing water through regular cleaning of your surroundings, and by screening of windows and door of house with wire mesh to reduce entry of mosquitoes and other insects inside the house.

3. Get diagnosed early and get complete treatment when you have any signs and symptoms of these diseases. The first symptoms of malaria are usually very similar to ‘flu – aches and pains, fever, headache and so on. After a few days, chills, followed firstly by a high fever for a few hours, and then by profuse sweating occur. For dengue, symptoms usually begin 4-6 days after infection, lasting up to 10 days and include sudden high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, severe joint and muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, skin rash and mild bleeding.

Prevention and control of vector borne diseases are, and must be, the responsibility of every one!

Dr. Tsering Wangchuk

Health Kalon