Telangana sees dip in malaria cases

Hyderabad: Telangana State is witnessing a gradual decline in malaria cases. As per the latest data available till December 2022, there has been steep decline in malaria cases due to various initiatives taken by the government regarding cleanliness and sanitation driven programmes like Palle Pragati, Pattana Pragati which played a major role in containment of disease.

In April 2022, the State was officially moved from Category 2 of the National Framework for Malaria Elimination (NFME) in India 2016-30 to Category 1, which means its transformation from pre-eradication to eradication level.

According to National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Centre Control, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India (GoI), in Telangana, districts such as Suryapet, Nagarkurnool, and Adilabad are showing decrease in surveillance at national level. The various indicators analysed in the report include number of blood slides examined, total positive malaria cases, total positive rate, and plasmodium falciparum (severe and life-threatening malaria) cases.

There is an increase in blood slides examination by 29.44 percent, decrease of total positive malaria cases by 62.07 percent, up to January 2023 compared to last three years average cumulative. The total positive rate was 0.01 percent up to January 2023 as compared to 0.02 for the last three years average and 0.02 up to January 2022.

Speaking to Hans India, Dr Navodaya Gilla, General Physician said, "Compared to the last two decades there is a significant improvement in surveillance for malaria positive cases in the State of Telangana, and most importantly awareness exists among citizens over malaria disease and its complications. In urban areas, the citizens are quite mindful about the consequences of the disease unlike rural areas.

In Telangana, mostly in areas like Khammam also where the disease was prevalent also showed reduction in malaria cases. Out of the four kinds of malaria parasites that infect humans, plasimodium falciparum is the most dangerous."

Today, to a large extent the disease is controlled, it can be mostly attributed to active surveillance by the government and most of the hospitals are collecting the blood samples and investigating. Most of the primary healthcare centres (PHCs) have diagnostic testing kits and microscopic lab examination kits at their possession which enable them for early detection of the disease, says Dr Swaroop Govind, CARE Hospitals, Hyderabad.

Category-1

Elimination of malaria, including their districts with an API of fewer than 1 case per 1000 people at risk

Category-2

Regions that are in the process of eliminating malaria, with an Annual Parasite Incidence (API) of fewer than 1 case per 1000 people at risk. However, some of their districts have an API of 1 case per 1000 people at risk or more.