Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, June 21: Malaria is steadily spreading its tentacles in the state with the health department here confirming four more deaths in May, taking the death toll to 17 in the state this year.
The state has recorded four deaths in the past two months in April and May and two deaths each in February and March and five deaths in January alone. The deaths in May were reported from Deogarh, Kalahandi, Mayurbhanj and Nabarangpur districts.
The increasing number of positive cases of malaria in Mayurbhanj district is giving sleepless nights to healthcare providers. Malaria cases in the tribal district of Mayurbhanj have increased by almost four times compared to the number of cases in March.
In January, as many as 717 persons diagnosed positive for the deadly vector-borne disease in this district while the number increased to 1,398 in March and subsequently to 4,572 in May.
“Malaria cases in Mayurbhanj have increased by almost four times in the past two months. We will send our team of health experts to the district to analyse the situation,” said a senior official at the National Vector-Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) office here.
Tribal and remote hamlets remain susceptible to malaria for which the state government has planned to launch a programme called DaMaNa (Durgama Anchalare Malaria Nirakarana) to check the further spread of the disease.
The proposed scheme will be implemented in eight tribal districts such as Malkangiri, Koraput, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Sundargarh, Kalahandi and Nuapada. People will be sensitised and given medicines through the scheme if diagnosed positive for the disease.
