72% drop in malaria cases in Bastar from 2015, says admin
According to a data released by the state health department, the malaria positivity rate in Bastar has fallen from 4.60% to just 0.46%, while the Annual Parasite Incidence (API) in the region has dropped from 27.4 in 2015 to 7.11 in 2024. At the state level, the API has gone down from 5.21 to 0.98 in the same period. Compared to 2023, malaria cases in 2024 have seen a further decline of 8.52%.
Health department officials said that the 10th and 11th phases of the Malaria Mukt Chhattisgarh campaign in 2024 focused on enhanced surveillance and focused treatment, which played a critical role in pushing the numbers down further.
The state is conducting the campaign in alignment with guidelines from the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Malaria in Chhattisgarh is primarily concentrated in the tribal and forested districts, especially in Bastar division, due to dense forest cover, remote habitations, poor healthcare access, and favourable conditions for mosquito breeding.
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The situation would get tense mostly when a number of security jawans would fall ill or succumb to malaria, after venturing out in forests during monsoon.
Frequent incidents of malaria cases among jawans spotlighted the vulnerability of frontline forces and triggered a renewed push for preventive screenings and stricter bed-net enforcement among the troops.
CM Sai said that it was a result of community-driven action, consistent fieldwork of health workers, Mitanins, and medical staff.
Health minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal said that the target is to get all districts of Chhattisgarh malaria-free, and sustained efforts are underway to realize this goal. He noted that activities such as distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, door-to-door testing, rapid treatment, and community awareness have been key drivers of this progress.
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Time of India
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- Time of India
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