CHENNAI: The malaria cases in the state dropped to 321 last year from 5,587 in 2015, and of 38 districts, 33 districts reported zero malaria cases, according to the data released by the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine on Tuesday.
According to the data, the 33 districts include Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Vellore, Tirupattur, Ranipet, Tiruvannamalai, Cuddalore, Villupuram, Kallakurichi and Thanjavur. The health department is taking all measures to bring cases to zero in the remaining five districts: Chennai, Chengalpattu, Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi and Salem. These five districts have been in the ‘Category I’ level for the last three years.
The health department has been taking preventive measures like malaria surveillance. Disease detection work is being carried out intensively at primary health centres (PHCs) and patients diagnosed with malaria are given complete treatment and are monitored closely.
Health workers are also visiting malaria-affected villages and carrying out preventive measures. Migrant workers from neighbouring states affected by malaria are being monitored intensively.
National seminar on “Eliminating malaria from Tamil Nadu” is scheduled to be held from January 19 to 21. The Central Committee of the National Vector-Borne Disease Prevention Programme will hold a review meeting for the elimination of malaria in Tamil Nadu, according to a press release.
Malaria is caused by parasites such as Plasmodium vivax (P.vivax) and Plasmodium falciparum (P.falciparum) transmitted by anopheles mosquitoes. The World Health Organisation and the National Centre for Disease Control have set target of eliminating malaria from India by 2030.