September 06, 2008

TATA Steel embarks on combating malaria

SNS reported that, in an attempt to combat Malaria as part of its corporate social responsibility in Orissa, TATA Steel has announced to embark on an initiative christened malaria prevention cum eradication program with am approximate budget of INR 1 crore.

Under the program, medicated mosquito nets and medicines would be distributed to about 50,000 families of the state. In the first leg of the two phase program, 6 blocks of Jajpur and Keonjhar districts will be covered and later, other parts would be covered.

In association of TATA Steel Rural Development Society, the TATA Steel has been undertaking regular initiatives to create awareness, detect and treat malaria in the past.

To create awareness, it organizes Malaria awareness camps, Nukkad Natak, health talks, wall painting in different villages. Further to avoid infection it regularly does fogging and spray of DDT, distributes mosquito nets, slide testing and also distributes medicines to the affected. At many villages it has dug soak pits near tube well sites and also filled the pit hole with Moorum soil.

As per government reports, as many as 365,592 numbers of people were found affected from malaria out of which about 86.60% were found Plasmodium