At a time when Kerala is grappling with a resurgence of Covid-19 cases in recent weeks, the state health department has detected a new genus of malaria called ‘plasmodium oval’, the state health minister tweeted on Thursday, KK Shailaja. The disease was detected in a soldier traveling from Sudan. He was being treated at the Kannur District Hospital. “Plasmodium oval, a new genus of malaria, has been detected in the state. It was found in a soldier who was being treated at the Kannur district hospital. The soldier had come from Sudan, ”Shailaja wrote on Twitter.
The protozoa responsible for malaria can be found in five varieties: Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium malaria, Plasmodium knowlesi, and Plasmodium ovale. Among these, Plamodium Vivax and Palsmodium Falciparum are the most common in India. Plasmodium ovale is generally found in Africa.
However, there is no reason to worry as the Health Minister has said that the spread of the disease can be prevented with timely treatment and preventive measures. This type of malaria is not known to be fatal. The malaria test was carried out at the Kannur District Hospital after the soldier who went to Sudan as part of the UN service complained of malaria symptoms. The virus was confirmed after a detailed study.
India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus in Kerala’s Thrissur district when a student, who was studying at Wuhan University, China, had returned to India. Also in 2018, an outbreak of Nipah virus (NiV) disease was reported in Kozhikode district.
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