BENGALURU: Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar pledged to extend full support to eliminate malaria from the state and country.At a workshop organised by the Health Department, he said that with continuous surveillance, testing and awareness programmes, cases have come down. The help from NGOs and the public will be required in addition to the government programmes to achieve the target by 2025, he added.
He said it is important to create awareness, especially in places seeing an uptick in malaria cases like Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. Even in areas with no cases, proper vigilance must be ensured, he added. In 2020, 1,86,532 malaria cases were detected across the country, of which Karnataka accounted for only 1,701 cases or 0.9 per cent. Only 100 malaria cases have been recorded in the past six months. But with monsoon setting in, the state is seeing a rise in cases in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi and areas close to forests, he said.
Dr Rinku Sharma, joint director, National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases, appreciated that Karnataka moved from category 1 to category 2. Since the transmission season is on, vector control strategies must be put in place, she added. Anita Chebbi, senior director, APLA-APMEN, said Karnataka’s progress on malaria elimination is a good example of what can be achieved with sustained political commitment to public health goals.