BHUBANESWAR: Odisha has lost the momentum in malaria reduction and is once again in top of the list of states with high cases of the vector-borne disease in 2023, thanks to disruption in supply of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN) considered a global best practice to prevent the disease.
As per National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control, malaria cases in the state almost doubled last year as compared to 2022. The state reported 41,971 cases and four deaths in 2023. It had 23,770 cases and five deaths in 2022. Odisha contributed around 18.7 per cent of the country’s malaria tally. The state was followed by Chhattisgarh (31,713), Jharkhand (31,140), West Bengal (26,493), Tripura (22,412), Maharashtra (16,164) and Uttar Pradesh (13,585).
At least five districts – Rayagada, Kalahandi, Malkangiri, Koraput and Kandhamal have recorded maximum cases fuelling the numbers in the state. The districts are among nine where targeted interventions were made to achieve malaria elimination by 2030. The highest 9,925 cases were reported in Rayagada followed by 7,543 in Kalahandi, 7,007 in Koraput, 5,062 in Kandhamal and 3,888 in Malkangiri. The annual parasite index (API) that had come down to 0.52 in 2022, again shot up to 0.93 and it was more than four in five districts. The API was over 10 in Rayagada, 6.9 in Kandhamal, 6.3 in Malkangiri, 5.07 in Koraput and 4.7 in Kalahandi.
Health experts working in malaria-prone areas of the state attributed the alarming rise in cases to drop in guard and behavioural changes of local populace towards routine practices suggested by health teams.
