Chhattisgarh's Initiatives to Combat Malaria

• 17 Jul 2024

Why in News?

Recently, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister has directed the health department to take proactive measures for preventing seasonal diseases during the monsoon season. 

• As a result, the number of malaria cases across the state, including Bastar, has significantly reduced.

Key Points

• Preventing diseases like malaria in the dense forests and inaccessible areas of Bastar Division has always been a major challenge. 
• Under the malaria eradication campaign,The malaria positivity rate decreased from 4.60% to 0.51% during nine phases of the malaria eradication campaign from 2020 to 2023. 
  • The tenth phase ended on 5th July, 2024, and 16.97 lakh insecticide-treated mosquito nets were distributed in 22 districts as part of the campaign.
• The health department's malaria case report for the first half of 2024 revealed the following number of cases: 1,660 in Bastar, 4,441 in Bijapur, 1,640 in Dantewada, 259 in Kanker, 701 in Kondagaon, 1,509 in Narayanpur, and 1,144 in Sukma.
• Consequently, the health department has enhanced case monitoring and strengthened the treatment facilities in all the districts.

Malaria

• Malaria is a life-threatening mosquito borne blood disease caused by plasmodium parasites.
  • There are 5 Plasmodium parasite species that cause malaria in humans and 2 of these species – P. falciparum and P. vivax – pose the greatest threat.
• Malaria is predominantly found in the tropical and subtropical areas of Africa, South America as well as Asia.
• Malaria is spread by the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito.
  • The mosquito becomes infected after biting an infected person. The malaria parasites then enter the bloodstream of the next person the mosquito bites. The parasites travel to the liver, mature, and then infect red blood cells.
• Symptoms of malaria include fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness. Notably, malaria is both preventable and curable.