New genus of malaria 'plasmodium oval' detected in Kerala

Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja on Thursday informed that a new genus of malaria called 'plasmodium oval' has been detected in the state.

Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja on Thursday informed that a new genus of malaria called 'plasmodium oval' has been detected in the state. The disease was detected in a soldier who travelled from Sudan. He was being treated at the district hospital in Kannur.

"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 District hospital in Kannur. The soldier had come from Sudan," Shailaja wrote on Twitter. The spread of the disease can be avoided with timely treatment and preventive measures, she added.

India reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus in Thrissur district of Kerala when a student, who was studying in Wuhan University, China and had returned to India. Also in 2018, a Nipah virus disease (NiV) outbreak was reported from Kozhikode district. (ANI)