The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Chittagong

Health experts and malaria researchers have said at least one crore people living in the country's thirteen north, east, south and eastern bordering areas are at high death risk of malaria and malaria related diseases.

Disclosing the information at a seminar on " Update on Malaria" here on Sunday, the health experts and researchers said among the bordering areas, 3 Chittagong Hill Tracks districts, adjacent Chittagong and Cox's Bazar are most vulnerable to the deadly disease.

According to official records, around 70,000 inhabitants of this areas are affected by malaria every year and of them 600 patients die annually.

Medicine Department of Chittagong Medical College (CMC) and Association of Advancement of Tropical Medicine jointly organised the seminar to mark the first World Malaria Day-2008.

Prof. Gofranul Haq, head of the Medicine Department of CMC presided over the seminar held in CMC conference room.

Four separate papers highlighting different aspects of treatment and management of the disease and research study on behaviour, approaches and information of people in malaria-prone areas were presented at the seminar.

Prof. Imran Bin Younus, Dr. Amir Hossain, Prof. Mahtabuddin Hasan and Dr. Rasheda Samad presented the keynote papers and study results.

Director of the Chittagong Medical College Hospital, Colonel Fariduzzaman, Principal of CMC, MA Wahab Chowdhury and Divisional Director of Health, Chittagong, Dr. Mohammad Rezaul Karim Chowdhury took part in the discussion on the keynote papers.

The speakers opined that death rate from malaria disease could not be contained despite availability of easy detection method and effective medicine for quick recovery due to lack of proper treatment facilities and mass awareness about how to prevent oneself easily from mosquito biting.