VIJAYAWADA: The State government has set itself an ambitious target of eliminating malaria from all 26 districts of the State by 2030 and achieving the sustainability of the incidence of malaria to less than 1 case per 1,000 population in all the districts by 2024.
Officials said every effort is being made to ensure that in the areas, where malaria has been eradicated, it does not get retransmitted. At the same time, the indigenous transmission of malaria will be curbed throughout the State.
It should be noted here that Andhra Pradesh has bagged national awards in the past three years for its efforts to eliminate malaria. “We will make every effort to achieve our goal of making the State malaria-free by 2030,” they asserted.
According to sources, malaria cases have marginally increased in 2022-23 compared to previous two financial years. Mostly, malaria cases have been reported in tribal areas of Alluri Sitarama Raju, Parvathipuram Manyam and Eluru districts.
Speaking to TNIE, a senior official of the public health department said, “Now, elimination of malaria is being taken up in a campaign mode and emphasis is laid on community participation in the efforts. The focus is more on effective sanitation and the elimination of breeding grounds for mosquitoes. To understand the pattern, the number of fever surveys will be increased.”
Anti-larval operation has been started in the areas where the reports of more mosquito infestation were reported in Alluri Sitarama Raju and Parvathipuram Manyam districts. Funding from the Centre too is expected for the eradication of malaria in the State.
Distribution of mosquito nets, where incidence of malaria and other vector-borne diseases have been reported, will be taken up in a big way as part of the action plan.
With the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP), real-time data is being uploaded, enabling health officials to take quick decisions. “Besides government hospitals, even private hospitals are being asked to upload the information they have of malaria cases on IHIP, which will help in eradication of that vector-borne diseases effectively,” the official added.