Malaria-free Bastar campaign getting momentum in Chhattisgarh

The positivity rate of malaria in the district fell from 2.99 percent to 0.99 percent.

To make Bastar malaria-free as per the wishes of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, the District Administration and Health Department is running an intensive malaria-free campaign. It is noteworthy that Bastar, full of its captivating natural beauty and forest resources, attracts people from all over the world due to its specialties.

But Malaria disease is one of the major problems of the people of Bastar, the people of Bastar are battling the problem of this disease for years. Due to this, the people of Bastar have also suffered the loss of public money.

Apart from the successful implementation of several public welfare schemes during the last two and a half years, the Chhattisgarh government led by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has also taken the initiative to free the people of Bastar from the curse of malaria.

As per the instructions of the state government, an intensive malaria-free campaign is being run in the entire Bastar district.

On the instructions of Collector Rajat Bansal, the team of District Administration and Health Department has given full strength to make this campaign successful to make Bastar district malaria-free.

During the four phases of the ongoing malaria-free campaign in the district, the health department’s vaccines reach every household, besides the survey work by identifying the patients with symptoms of malaria, their malaria test and distribution of medicines, etc. to the positive patients, besides distribution of mosquito nets and Through street plays and other mediums, information and necessary help are being made available for the prevention of malaria.

During this campaign, the officers-employees of the Health Department and the people involved in the investigation team had to struggle a lot for this work at many places.

Especially such villages of Darbha and Lohandiguda development blocks, where even today there is no easy access road. In the absence of bridges and culverts in the rainy days, crossed the rivers and streams and reached with full equipment. It is the result of the determination of the officers and employees to realize the dream of the Malaria-free Bastar campaign that with the successful completion of all four phases of this campaign, the rate of malaria is declining rapidly.

Under the Malaria-free Bastar campaign, not only door-to-door malaria screening of people is being done, but along with this, DDT is being sprayed on a priority basis by identifying sensitive areas. As a result of which the number of positive malaria patients has decreased by 20 percent in the year 2021 as compared to the year 2020.

Under the Malaria-free Bastar campaign, in the year 2020-21, the first, second, third, and fourth phases were successfully run in all 7 development blocks of the district. Under this, during the malaria test, 5203 out of 253295 persons were found in the first phase, 4909 out of 389148 persons in the second phase, 1817 out of 202300 persons in the third phase, 1469 out of 148168 persons were found to be malaria positive in the fourth phase.

Proper arrangements were made for the treatment of all these patients by the Health Department. During the investigation in all four phases of the campaign, the positivity rate was 2.10 percent in the first phase, 1.26 percent in the second phase, 0.90 percent in the third phase, and 0.99 percent in the fourth phase. During the investigation, symptoms of malaria were found in 32.4 percent in the first stage, 36.6 percent in the second stage, 27.3 percent in the third stage and 41.2 percent in the fourth stage.

Under the malaria test of children below 15 years of age, 55 percent were found to be malaria positive in the first stage, 54 percent in the second stage, 55 percent in the third stage and 53.9 percent in the fourth stage. Similarly, the positive percentage of women was 95 percent in the first stage, 80 percent in the second stage, 21 percent in the third stage and 17 percent in the fourth.

The impact of malaria infection is maximum in the Kilipal block of the district, apart from this, Darbha and Lohandiguda development blocks are also included in the most susceptible blocks from the point of view of malaria infection. All measures are being ensured by the Health Department to make these three development blocks malaria-free. As a result of the intensive malaria campaign being run in the district, there has been a drastic reduction in the cases of malaria in the district. Presently the API (Annual Parasite Index) in the district is 2.66.