Malaria Research gets big boost with NIMR receiving awards

Panaji, Nov 4 : The malaria eradication research programmes in the country got a big boost with four of the top scientists attached with the National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR) bagging covered awards in recognition of their contribution to the noble task here today.

The four scientists received the awards at the X International symposium on Vectors and Vector Borne Diseases at the instance of Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat who pleaded with the authorities for taking the lead in making the state free from the dreaded vector born diseases including malaria.

The Delhi-based NIMR director Dr V K Dua was honoured with the Godrej Sara Lee Limited award Rs one lakh for his phenomenal research on personal protection from mosquitto vectors, its deputy director at Roorkey Dr S K Sharma bagged Rs one lakh award for his outstanding contribution to research vectors instituted by Biotech International Limited.

Dr Neena Valecha of the NIMR, specialist in pharmacology, was awarded Rs one lakh for the contribution on vector diseses management, instituted by the Bhubaneswar-headquartered National Academy of Vector Borne Diseases (NAVBD).

A gold medal and a citation, also instituted by the NAVBD, was bagged by Dr B N Nagpal of NIMR for his work on environment aspects of VB diseases, particularly on ''attracticices'' in collaboration with the Defence Research Development Establisment recently.

The three-day symposium, being attended by about 400 delegates from across the globe, was organised by the NAVBD in collaboration with the Goa University, whose vice-chancellor Prof Dilep N Deobagkar is president of the academy.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Kamat said Goa, which had consistently been in the forefront in health sector, should take the lead in making itself Malaria free at the earliest.

At the sametime, he stressed the need for strengthening the education sector as people without education could not progress in all other sectors including health. These two sectors ''touch the common man'' who is the main concern of the Goa government, he added.

Earlier, Goa director of health services Dr Rajananda Desai enumerated various measures in the state to eradicate vector borne diseases with malaria being mostly ''migrant orinented''.

Efforts were underway to declare Goa as ''Filaria Free'' state with enumeration for the purpose on, whereas Chikungunya and Dengue registered a steep rise of late in the tourist state, forcing the authorities to step up cleanliness drive with the help of student volunteers.

Prominent among those present included chief secretary Sanjay Srivastava and dean of Goa Medical College Dr V N Jindal.

--UNI

(c) 2009 Published with permission from United News of India.
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