New Delhi: The biggest enemy for force fighting Naxalites in dense jungles of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar is not a Maoist but a mosquito.
As per the latest government data more CRPF men have died due to malaria and heart attack than Maoist attacks in the Naxal-affected districts in the country.
The data's released by the home ministry in 2014 reveals that 50 CRPF died in Maoist attack but 95 died due to various diseases.
While in 2012, 36 CRPF men died of mosquito bites and heart attacks as against 37 in Maoist violence; in 2013 as many as 22 CRPF men fell to the two diseases as against 20 to Maoists.
According to CRPF sources, the lack of medicines is not a problem but early diagnosis and work pressure is.
As per report published in Times of India, Home Ministry has claimed that it has been providing medicines, organizing health campaign programmes, setting up infrastructure facilities and educating security personnel on good health practices.
As quoted by Times of India a CRPF officer who recently served in Sukma, Chhattisgarh said, "At camps in the jungles, there are just a few constables trained in first aide and armed with malaria detection kit. Several times they fail to diagnose correctly as strains such as falciparum malaria do not always come with high fever. By the time the personnel falls seriously sick, it is too late as evacuation from the camp alone takes about two days". READ MORE
The increasing gap in number of deaths due to malaria and heart attacks and that due to Maoist attacks over the years is one thing that should be taken much consideration.
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