This story is from January 16, 2018

At 15, Maharashtra now next only to , Odisha in malaria deaths

At 15, Maharashtra now next only to , Odisha in malaria deaths
(Representative image)
MUMBAI: Despite a significant decline in malaria cases and a near 50% drop in fatalities, Maharashtra climbed up the charts to record the third highest number of malaria deaths, at 15, in the country in 2017, next only to West Bengal and Odisha. With 26 deaths in 2016, the state was in the fifth position after Odisha, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Meghalaya.
But the bitter news has come with a silver lining.
It has managed to tackle malaria effectively in Naxal-hit Gadchiroli, a district that has remained endemic to the vector-borne disease for decades, contributing heavily to the state’s disease burden. Of the 15 deaths reported from the entire state last year, the tribal district of Gadchiroli accounted for merely four. Mumbai, on the contrary, which has the mosquito-transmitted disease well under control since the 2010 epidemic, witnessed six deaths—a 50% decline from 2016 though.
A 16% decline in malaria cases has been recorded nationally last year. Maharashtra, too, recorded a 26% drop. “Most states have done well in tackling malaria, including Maharashtra, making elimination a closer possibility. Border districts such as Gadchiroli have remained a challenge always because of the terrain, roving population, accessibility,” said Dr Neeraj Dhingra, additional director, National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme.
State authorities have said that the results in Gadchiroli were a culmination of measures taken over two years. From 34,000 positive cases in 2015, it dipped by 84% to 5,493 last year. When compared to 2016, the fall was of around 40%. “Defeating malaria in Gadchiroli needed an all-encompassing game plan, which included mobilizing manpower that didn’t want to go to a naxal-hit area to arranging for rapid diagnosis and treatment. Here, the distance between villages to a sub-centre could stretch up to 40km, making blood collection on slides to a testing centre, a difficult proposition,” said Dr Satish Pawar, head of the state’s Directorate of Health Services (DHS).
Little over a year and a half ago, an army of nearly 800 health workers was appointed to embark on a mammoth surveillance programme. The district spread over 14,500 square kilometres was divided into three categories, depending on incidence. In worst-affected 69 villages with an annual parasite incidence of over 50 cases per 1,000 population, health workers were equipped with rapid diagnostic kits so that patients could be immediately started on drugs.
A state official said diagnosis was a challenge as locals didn’t show classic symptoms of malaria. “Due to repeated exposure to the disease, their fever threshold has gone up,” he said. Dr Pawar said the traditional vector control measures didn’t work as the population spent considerable time in fields. “Weather conditions too didn’t favour us as more rains create thousands of breeding grounds,” he said. “A bigger task now would be to sustain the success,” said Dr Dhingra.
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