BHUBANESWAR: Malaria cases have dropped by around 95 per cent (pc) in Odisha between 2016 and 2022 due to targeted interventions by the state government drawing appreciation from the WHO and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Health department sources said the malaria-positive cases have declined from 4.44 lakh cases in 2016 to 23,770 in 2022. Malaria deaths have also gone down from 77 to five during the period.
The positivity rate has also come down significantly paving the way for the elimination of the vector-borne disease by 2030. While 4.44 lakh cases were detected from 7.21 lakh samples in 2016, only 23,770 were found positive among 8.16 lakh samples last year.
Director of public health Dr Niranjan Mishra said Odisha has made significant progress in controlling malaria over the last six years and the rate of reduction of the vectorborne disease is highest in the state. “The positivity rate has dropped from 6.17 pc to 0.29 pc. The annual parasite index (API) has also come down to less than one in most of the districts. The state has reported its all-time low API and many districts are currently on the path of malaria elimination,” he said.
Health authorities attributed the significant reduction in cases to integrated intervention and strengthened strategies like the state-led programme Durgama Anchlare Malaria Nirakarana (DAMaN). More than 20,000 malaria eradication camps were held in different parts of the state between 2018-2022 and people in malaria-prone districts were distributed around 1.57 crore long-lasting insecticidal mosquito nets (LLINs).
“Odisha was once the highest contributor of malaria contributing 25 pc of the country’s annual malaria cases and 30 pc of deaths. DAMaN was put into action in 2017 to address the population living in unreachable areas along with special surveillance for zero validation of malaria cases in 24 districts,” Dr Mishra said. The state government has extended DAMaN for five more years in 21 districts in a bid to achieve malaria elimination.