Jamshedpur, July 14 -- At least 1,100 villages in East Singhbhum and West Singhbhum districts under Kolhan division of Jharkhand have been declared malaria zones even as 1,895 new patients were detected in East Singhbhum, 1,491 having brain malaria, while 997 patients were reported in West Singhbhum as of Sunday, most of whom were affected by brain malaria and were asymptomatic, officials said on Monday. "At least 997 malaria positive patients were detected from testing 30,000 people till Sunday, of which 412 are asymptomatic. The risk of infection spreading from such people is more. Another challenge is timely treatment, crucial in cases of brain malaria, which is also difficult in cases of asymptomatic patients," Dr Shivcharan Hansda, deputy superintendent of Chaibasa Sadar Hospital (CSH), told HT on Monday. Officials said over 700 of the 997 patients identified in West Singhbhum were suffering from Plasmodium falciparum (PF) or brain malaria. "At least 1,069 villages under 155 health sub centres in East Singhbhum and 86 villages in six hot-spots - Manoharpur , Goilkera, Tonto, Sonua, Jhinkpani and Barajamda - have been declared malaria zone. The silent patients (asymptomatic) are posing the biggest challenge as the infection can spread fast from them and they themselves don't get treated being asymptomatic. But cerebral malaria parasites can relapse when immunity is weak and damage brain, lever and other critical organs," a health department official said on Monday. "In East Singhbhum, 1,04,459 persons were tested between June 29 and July 12, out of which 1,491 have been brain malaria affected while 353 general malaria and 51 mixed cases. At least 667 patients have been found in Potka, 427 in Dumuria, 344 in Musabani and 212 in Ghatshila. Urban areas are mostly untouched with two cases reported from Birsanagar," Dr Sahir Pal, East Singhbhum civil surgeon, said. "Six persons have died in the district due to malaria of which four had brain malaria and two were mixed infection. Every death is being medically reviewed. Don't take fever lightly and get tested in the nearest health centre. Better cooperation and coordination between government and private hospitals is of paramount importance in such crisis situation. Report to the civil surgeon office immediately after detection of malaria patients," Rajiv Ranjan, East Singhbhum deputy commissioner (DC), appealed to the people on Monday. The DC also directed the health department to ensure information of malaria patient identification, testing and treatment within 24 hours. "Once a patient is detected, conduct mass testing in at least 3-4 villages (as many as possible) within 72 hours and ensure tracking, survey in most number of adjacent villages and indoor residual spray in the households," added Ranjan. World Health Organisation (WHO) representative, present in the meeting on Monday, said several districts in Jharkhand were highly endemic in terms of malaria....