Health and Communicable Disease in West Khasi Hill District, India

Aims: To analyse spatial patterns in the distribution of major communicable diseases in West Khasi Hills District.

Study Design: Random sampling technique has been used to collect household data. It has been purpossively selected 28 villages. The criteria selecting this villges are that they are close to the uranium mining site. Around 719 households from these 28 villages were covered for the present study.

Data collected from households have been analysed for each village separately. Data are calculated in excel and for frequencies are used in SPSS software. Separate layers of data have been mapped for each of the demographic parameters for which the household information has been collected through a structured household schedule canvassed through an interview method. Mapping technique has been employed on a GIS platform to get a comprehensive demographic picture of each of the sample villages in each of the distance zone.

Place and Duration of Study: West Khasi Hills District, Meghalaya, N.E. India between 2009 and 2011.

Methodology: Data for the present researchhas been collected from a number of villages located around Domiasiat village which is the locus of the proposed uranium mining. The health conditions and the disease prevalence in the area around this village have been assessed by collecting useful information from households in 28 villages selected on the basis of distance criterion.

Results: A study of the morbidity pattern reveals the dominance of communicable diseases as reported by the respondents. The types of sicknesses recorded during the survey shows that the most prevalent type of sickness is malaria that afflicted more than 45.27 percent adult males, 41.20 percent adult females, and 33.18 percent children of the population interviewed. Diarrhea/dysentery affected 32.03 percent of the children, 29.62 percent of the adult males and 28.93 percent of the adult females. Prolonged cold/cough afflicted 27.57 percent of children and 26.52 percent of adult male and 26.12 percent of the adult female population. Respiratory problem accounts for 6.29 percent of children, 4.31 percent of adult females and 3.84 percent of the adult male population. Thirty persons contracted tuberculosis, of which 1.12 percent of adult female, 1.03 percent of adult males and 0.30 percent of the children population. Skin diseases are found among an insignificant 2.63 percent of children, 2.44 percent of the adult male and 2.34 percent of the adult female population.

Conclusion: Morbidity pattern in the study area reveals a clear dominance of communicable diseases which afflicts the children much more than the adults.