Manipur is steadily pushing itself to become the first Malaria free state to achieve the "zero malaria status" by 2021 not just in the North-Eastern region but also the whole country, almost ten years ahead of the national target of eliminating the tropical disease by 2030.
Attributingthe feat to multiple programmes and intervention by government authoritiesparticularly the State Malaria Office and the local community themselves overthe years, Manipur Governor Dr. Najma Heptulla told Pratidin Time that"overwhelming support and cooperation between the concerned Govtdepartment and the local community had been vital to achieve this success.
Heptulla, however, reminded that the state has numerable water bodies that serve as breeding ground for malarial mosquitoes and hence it is very essential that awareness should be given top priority.
"Awarenessincluding that of keeping the environment clean is the key to eliminating thiscommunicable disease" Dr. Heptulla informed.
Earlier thisyear, in connection with the observance of World Malaria Day on April 25 last,the State Malaria Officer Dr. Thangpa Serto had claimed that India accounts for4 pc of the total global malaria cases which were reported from 87 differentcountries.
While Odisha topped the list of Malaria cases in the country accounting for 25 pc, the North-Eastern state of Meghalaya and Mizoram followed closely with Maharastra, Goa, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Karnataka trailing behind.
Manipur, however, distinguished itself as the least affected state in the whole country and earned the best performing state in countering Malaria.
Dr. Serto hadalso informed that Malaria cases and death in the state has declined from 145in 2014 to 80 in 2017 and just 12 cases being reported from the interior hilldistrict of Churchandpur and Pherzawl districts in 2018. However, there hasbeen no Malaria related death in the state since 2013.
The detectionof the malaria cases in 2018 has forced to determine the target to be changedfrom 2020 to 2021, Dr. Serto continued adding with no vaccination, it isimportant that early symptoms need to be taken seriously so as to enable earlyand complete treatment.
