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Uttarakhand CM launches plan to eradicate malaria from state by 2022
Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Sunday launched a “state framework and strategic plan for malaria elimination”, even as the health department data showed 74% decline in malaria cases in the state in the past six years.
Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Sunday launched a “state framework and strategic plan for malaria elimination”, even as the health department data showed 74% decline in malaria cases in the state in the past six years.
As a part of ‘malaria elimination mission 2022’, the health department plans to bring down the number of malaria patients to zero by 2020 and prevent return of the disease by 2022.
As per the health department’s data, Uttarakhand has registered 74 percent decline in malaria cases from 2012 to 2017. In 2012, 1,948 cases of malaria were found in the state.
This came down to 508 cases in 2017. This year, 138 cases of malaria have been reported in the state.
Dr Pankaj Singh, state programme officer of vector borne diseases, said, “Malaria has been declared as a notifiable disease, which means the health department receives information on each case of malaria. Now, instead of number based surveillance, we will do case based surveillance of the disease. Detailed information regarding each case will be kept and the patient shall be treated accordingly.”
Singh said bivalent rapid diagnostic kits are being used for testing of malaria.
“These kits prove to be very helpful in remote areas where facilities are not available. The kit gives results within 5-7 minutes and the treatment can resume immediately,” he added.
Data shows 1,747 health sub-centres out of a total 1,847 sub-centres have not reported a single case of malaria per thousand population.
The department will be focusing on Dehradun, Haridwar, Pauri, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar particularly during the elimination program.
Singh said the bigger challenge is to ensure the disease does not re-establish itself.
“Even after the cases are eliminated from the state, migratory cases from outside will always be there. So it becomes very important to identify a migratory case early on and treat the patient so that the infection does not spread,” Singh said.
