Berhampur: Vectorborne disease malaria is on the wane in Ganjam district with only 442 persons testing positive for it in 2021, a report said. The disease had turned into an endemic in the last few years in the district. However, due to stringent measures adopted by the district health department, it has been brought under control. The success has been achieved due to malaria control programme ‘Operation Daman’ launched by the Odisha government in 2017 and 2018. Various teams of the Health department visited remote and inaccessible areas under different blocks of Ganjam district and conducted mass testing of villagers.
Blood samples of the villagers were examined and those testing positive were immediately given medicines. The villagers were urged to keep their surroundings clean and mosquito larvae growing in the drains and cesspools were destroyed. The villagers were also urged to use mosquito nets at night.
As a result, the number of malaria patients started decreasing from 2019. Proper arrangements have also been made in all community health centres (CHCs) to test the blood samples of suspected malaria patients while free medicines are distributed to them if the reports are positive. Mosquito nets have been distributed to over 19 lakh people in 13 blocks of the district in 2020-21, officials said. When contacted, district malaria officer Dr Santosh Kumar Padhi said that use of mosquito nets has brought the disease under control. He informed that despite the reduction in the number of malaria cases ‘Operation Daman’ is continuing in the remote areas. He pointed out that the disease can be completely eradicated if people become conscious about it. A total of 3,390 persons tested positive for malaria when 4,14,847 blood samples were tested in 2019. In 2020, blood samples of 3,38,170 persons were examined and 1,929 tested positive for malaria.
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Similarly, blood samples of 3,93,120 persons were examined in 2021, but the number of infected people decreased drastically to 442. It should be stated here that in 2018, 5,761 persons had tested positive for malaria. Officials also said that the district has a zero fatality rate as far as malaria is concerned in the last three years.
The district health department has also taken a series of steps to create awareness on vector- borne diseases like malaria and dengue. It has launched awareness vehicles and organised street plays to educate people on the two diseases. Also insecticides and various medicinal liquids are being regularly sprayed into drains, cesspools and stagnant water bodies to destroy mosquito larvae.
