To make 12 states in the country malaria-free, the central government is going to conduct a massive anti-mosquito campaign. It will be launched on World Malaria Day (April 25). The government has received funds of Rs 541 crore for this campaign through the Global Fund. This campaign will run from April 2024 to March 2027 under the supervision of the National Center for Vector-Borne Disease Control (NCVBDC).
The third and final phase of the malaria eradication project will be launched in Delhi, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Maharashtra.
In fact, the malaria disease caused by the Plasmodium parasite is spread through the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito. Doctors believe that a malaria infection infects the red blood cells in the patient’s body. Symptoms such as fever, chills, headaches, muscle aches and fatigue are felt. There is still no vaccine for malaria, even though it is considered an infectious disease that is more than 100 years old. A vaccine called RTS has recently arrived, which has not yet been approved by the WHO. In India, Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech are researching vaccines.
28 countries may get freedom by the end of the year
So far, there is a continuous decrease in malaria infection cases in 22 states of the country. No new case has been reported in Puducherry and Lakshadweep for over a year. It is expected that by the end of this year it will be possible to declare about 28 countries free of the malaria mosquito disease. According to him, when freedom from an infectious disease is declared, the total number of cases per one lakh population is calculated according to the standards of the World Health Organization. For example, if the average case of malaria per one lakh population in a district is one or less, then it will be considered in the category of disease free.
Patients were reduced by 30 percent in one year
India reported 33.8 lakh malaria cases and 5,511 deaths in 2022, a 30% decrease in cases and 34% in deaths compared to 2021. Compared to 2017, there was a 49% decrease in patients and a 50.5% decrease in deaths. Apart from that, malaria cases and deaths decreased by 85.1% and 83.6% respectively between 2015 and 2022.
A struggle still remains: who
The Regional Director of the World Health Organization (WHO), Saima Wajd, said that this year the whole world is celebrating Malaria Day with the theme “Strengthening the fight against malaria for a just world”. He said that everyone has the right to get better and affordable healthcare in a timely manner. Affected countries must urgently eliminate discrimination and stigma and involve communities in health-related decision-making.
