According to the Union Health Ministry data, malaria cases reported in Tamil Nadu came down from 5,444 in 2017 to 3,762 in 2018. The significant decline in the number of malaria cases, officials say, is due to measures taken by the Directorate of Public Health.
P Vadivelan, Additional Director of Malaria and Filaria, told TNIE,
“This year till date, 303 cases were reported in the State. Among them, 176 cases were from Chennai district. In Ramanathapuram district, there were 22 cases and in Kanniyakumari district 26 cases were reported. In other districts, only sporadic cases reported so far.”
Representative Photo/ Source: File
An official from the health department told TNM about the various measures taken by the department and added that the public was becoming more receptive in implementing the suggestions.
“We have taken efforts to ensure that preventive measures are implemented. The government has arranged for regular spraying of pesticides in mosquito-borne areas in both rural and urban regions. Awareness and education have also been raised about how malaria is spread, and this has helped bring down the numbers largely.”
The state department is now aiming to eradicate the vector-borne disease by 2023. India has targetted to eliminate malaria by 2030 through the distribution of anti-malarial drugs as well as by planning and scaling up research.
Though malaria deaths all over the world have come down by 60% since 2000, the disease still kills around 400,000 people every year. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), India accounts for 6% of malaria cases in the world and also sees 4% of deaths. Malaria is a parasitic disease transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito which carries the parasite species from the Plasmodium family. The most common symptoms of malaria are fever, chills and rigours continuing for over a week, as well as a rise in body temperature during the night.
