In its quest to eliminate malaria, India focuses on Odisha and the tribal states

Kolkata: India’s goal of eliminating malaria by 2030 may appear at first glance to be easily attainable.Reported cases of the disease dropped by around half between 2001 and 2016 and, in nearly three-quarters of India’s more than 650 districts, the number of people falling ill from malaria is very low.

But India’s path towards elimination has proven to be particularly difficult in the remote and rugged tribal areas of the country’s north-east region and in the state of Odisha to the east – areas where malaria is one of the most common health problems, a WHO statement here today said.

“Making advances against malaria in these areas is crucial, considering they represent the majority of the country’s malaria burden,” said Dr Henk Bekedam, the World Health Organization Representative in India.“Making advances against malaria in these areas is crucial, considering they represent the majority of the country’s malaria burden.”

The challenges are many. A forest-based economy in India’s tribal states means many people work in areas thick with the mosquitoes that carry the malaria parasite. Residents typically sleep outdoors, where they are easy targets for mosquitoes.In addition, people often wear inadequate clothing, which leaves them vulnerable to mosquito bites, and are often reluctant to seek medical help when they first develop symptoms of the disease.

What’s more, mosquitoes in these areas tend to transmit the disease efficiently and have developed resistance to as many as 3 of the 4 WHO-recommended classes of insecticides.To overcome these challenges and following the recommendations of WHO’s Global Technical Strategy for Malaria, Indian health authorities are increasing efforts to provide free access to bednets, expand the use of rapid diagnostic tests and provide early treatment for cases of the disease.(UNI)