Tripura to become malaria-free by 2027, says Manik

Agartala: CM Manik Saha on Monday announced that Tripura would become malaria-free by 2027 while addressing the Asia Pacific Leaders Conclave on Malaria Eradication 2023 in New Delhi.“Besides strengthening the rural health infrastructure and healthcare facilities, the Tripura government has undertaken a four-point action to control vector-borne diseases like malaria. It included the use of larvivorous fishes for mosquito control, vector-control sprays, insecticide-treated mosquito nets and massive awareness about malaria,” Saha said.He claimed that the Tripura government has adopted the latest drug policy for the treatment of malaria patients following international standards, which reduced the malaria infection rate to only three persons in every thousand population.Among eight districts, only two have been identified as prone to malaria and accordingly, specific interventions have been made and strategies employed to eradicate malaria and other vector-borne diseases, the CM said.Saha highlighted that Tripura had witnessed a devastating malaria outbreak in 2014 when at least 96 people died and as many as 51,240 people were detected positive by screening only 6.8% of blood samples, which has improved within two years.“Only 14 deaths were recorded among 32,525 positive cases in 2016,” Saha claimed, adding that Tripura has set up at least one health sub-centre in each village now and a large number of community health workers were mobilised to micro-level health surveillance.