BHUBANESWAR: Odisha has made significant progress in controlling malaria with 90 per cent reduction in number of cases over the last three years due to targeted interventions by the State government. The rate of reduction of the vector-borne disease between 2018 and 2019 was 40 per cent against the national average of 17 per cent during the same period. “Around 4.44 lakh malaria positive cases and 77 deaths were recorded in 2016 which reduced to 39, 556 cases and nine deaths in 2019,” said Director Public Health Dr Niranjan Mishra.
However, the positivity rate remained high in 2020 with nine deaths. The rise in cases of malaria was attributed to disruption in supply of lasting insecticidal mosquito nets (LLINs) and absence of awareness drive in remote areas and high burden districts due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “The annual parasite index (API) was less than one per 1,000 population in eight districts in 2016. With improvement in situation, the API index came down to less than one in 23 districts. Due to rapid reduction in positivity rate, WHO has recorded Odisha model as a best practice in its World Malaria Report of 2020,” Mishra said.
He said this was made possible due to integrated intervention like the State-led programme called Durgama Anchlare Malaria Nirakarana (DAMaN). As many as 16,088 malaria eradication camps were held in different parts of the State in between 2018-2020. It was estimated that the malaria-prone area has reduced to 31 community health centres (CHC) out of total 374 CHC areas.
Around 2.8 crore people were protected from malaria with distribution of 1.57 crore LLINs under DAMaN. Around 48,455 ASHA workers were trained and engaged in diagnosis and management of cases. Special eradication projects were implemented at four OMBADC districts- Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh and Jajpur.
The issue was discussed at an inter-departmental coordination meeting on prevention of vector-borne diseases held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra here on Friday. Mahapatra directed departments concerned to take preventive steps for checking any possible outbreak of the disease during the current year. Industrial houses were advised to set up dedicated public health units with testing and surveillance facilities.