Mumbai: There has been a 20% drop in the number of malaria cases reported across Maharashtra in the last two years. As per the data provided by the state health department, 15,451 cases were reported in the state in 2022, compared to 19,303 cases in 2021; however, 2,579 cases were reported till May 2023. Senior health officials attributed this drop to the collective measures taken across the state to eliminate Malaria.
5 Districts Report Zero Cases
Moreover, five districts namely Latur, Osmanabad, Nanded, Parbhani and Hingoli have reported zero cases of Malaria, while 16 districts including Bhandara, Ratnagiri, Dhule, Nandurbar, Wardha, Ahmednagar, Kolhapur, Nashik, Jalgaon, Washim, Sangli, Beed, Solapur, Aurangabad, Jalna and Yavatmal have reported a meagre 1-10 cases.
On December 21, 2021, the state health department made Malaria a notifiable disease which is a vector-borne illness caused by a parasite and spreads through the bite of infected, female Anopheles mosquitoes.
Deputy director of health services, state family welfare department, Dr Kailas Baviskar said they have been conducting surveys in villages to identify new cases through which they can eliminate Malaria by 2030.
Guppy Fish Breeding Centres Established
“Guppies or million fish feed on mosquito eggs and larvae are used for the elimination of Anopheles mosquito breeding spots which has been followed in both the rural and urban areas of the state. Till now, we have established 11,098 guppy fish breeding centres in the state and fish have been released in 192,118 mosquito breeding sites. In high-risk villages and outbreak areas, house-to-house spraying of synthetic pyrethroid insecticides is being done in selected and outbreak-prone village of the state. Whereas, under the Civil Malaria Scheme, Temephos, BTI insecticides are being sprayed,” he said.
Joint director of the state health department Dr B S Kamlapurkar said that 33 out of the 34 districts in the state have an annual parasite index (API) of less than 1%. “However, the problem is Gadchiroli district which has sizable tribal populations,” Dr Kamlapurkar said.
Status of cases
2020: 12,909
2021: 19,303
2022: 15,451
2023 till May: 2,579
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