Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, March 16: As many as seven people have died this year because of malaria, with the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) recording two deaths in February against five in January.
One of the deaths in February was reported from Jharsuguda and the other from Mayurbhanj. The various health institutions have tested nearly 4 lakh blood samples, of which about 17,000 have been found to be malaria positive in the same month.
“Despite rigorous efforts by the health officials and the state government, there have been deaths because of malaria in the tribal hamlets of the state. The people have been continuously sensitised on the consequence of the disease, but are not adhering to the precautionary guidelines,” said a senior health official here.
“The state government has been distributing nets to the people under the Mo Masari Yojna. Many people have benefited from the scheme by using the nets in their homes. However, there is also a need for the civic bodies to act and clean the locality without which the menace of the anopheles mosquito cannot be controlled,” said the official.
Tripura has topped the chart of malaria deaths in 2014 with 106 persons succumbing to the disease. Orissa recorded 95 deaths, the second highest in the country, according to the NVBDCP. States such as Bihar and Andhra Pradesh have recorded no malaria deaths, while Jharkhand recorded nine deaths, Chhattisgarh 53 deaths and West Bengal 66 deaths last year.
