Health staff wakes up late to treat filaria

• Special drive launched to distribute tablets in affected areas
• Parents find it difficult to find alliances for daughters

Atmakur (Kurnool): After neglecting totally for the last ten years leading to a delay in establishing the filaria diagnostic centre here, the District Medical and Health staff has woken up to the reality of the disease spreading fast in several villages in the Nallamala forest belt.

Following the orders issued by Collector Sudarshan Reddy, the staff took up on Tuesday a special drive to distribute anti-filaria tablets. The disease is not sparing even those aged from ten years to 80 in eight areas including the outskirts of Nallamala and those abutting the Krishna river bank. It has spread from Atmakur to Kothapalli, Siddeswaram, Mahanandi and Ahobhilam.

There are about 80 afflicted persons in villages like Sripatiraopet, Indiralwaram, Kurkukunda, Vadlerampuram, Krishnapuram of Atmakur mandal. Villagers find it difficult to find alliances for their daughters as none is coming forward.

District malaria special officer Hussain Peera has undertaken a tour of the affected areas. Along with the PHC staff, he distributed tablets to the afflicted villagers after creating awareness among them. The tour comes in the wake of the orders issued by the Collector and DMHO Narasimhulu to undertake a three-day drive in the areas covered by eight PHCs.

Atmakur occupies the second spot, after Bethamcherla, in the prevalence of filaria in the district.