Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha announced on Monday to make Tripura a malaria-free state by 2027 while addressing the Asia Pacific Leaders Conclave on Malaria Eradication 2023 in New Delhi.
Besides strengthening rural health infrastructure and healthcare facilities, the Tripura government has undertaken four-point measures to control all vector-borne diseases like malaria, that include the use of Larvivores fish for mosquito control, vector control sprays, insecticide-treated mosquito nets, and massive awareness against malaria, Dr Saha stated.
He claimed the Tripura government has adopted the latest drug policy for the treatment of malaria patients following the international standard, which has reduced the malaria infection rate to only three people per thousand people.
Among the eight districts, only two districts of the states have been identified as prone to malaria, and accordingly, specific interventions and strategies have been employed to eradicate malaria and other vector-borne diseases, as the Chief Minister mentioned.
Dr Saha highlighted that Tripura had witnessed a devastating malaria outbreak in 2014, when at least 96 people died and as many as 51240 people were detected positive by the screening of only 6.8 per cent of blood samples, which has improved within two years.
“Only 14 deaths were recorded among 32525 positive cases, and in the last year the blood sample screening has increased to 22.15 per cent and positivity rate has reduced to 0.23 per cent, which was 15.7 per cent and 11.7 per cent respectively, in 2014 and 2016,” Dr 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 have been mobilised for micro level health surveillance.
During a lecture in the international community, the Chief Minister remembered his political journey and stated, “My political life began in 2016 and within four years I became the BJP’s state unit president.” Then I was elected to the Rajya Sabha for three days: – first day I took the oath, the second day I took part in the discussion, and in the third day the house was adjourned. After that, I was made Chief Minister for 10 months, and this is my second term as CM of Tripura.”
