Odisha leads the nation in malaria cases as mosquito nets disappear
Due to an interruption in the delivery of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN), which are seen to be a worldwide best practice for preventing the illness, Odisha has lost momentum in the fight against malaria and is once again at the top of the list of states with high incidence of the vector-borne disease in 2023.
The state had almost twice as many instances of malaria last year compared to 2022, according to the National Center for Vector Borne Diseases Control. In 2023, the state had 41,971 cases and four fatalities. In 2022, there were 23,770 cases and five fatalities. Odisha was responsible for around 18.7% of the nation’s malaria cases. The states that came behind it were Uttar Pradesh (13,585), West Bengal (26,493), Tripura (22,412), Maharashtra (16,164), Jharkhand (31,140), and Chhattisgarh (31,713).
The state’s figures are fueled by at least five districts: Rayagada, Kalahandi, Malkangiri, Koraput, and Kandhamal. These districts have reported the highest number of cases. The districts are one of nine where focused interventions were carried out in an effort to eradicate malaria by 2030. The city of Rayagada recorded the most instances (9,925), followed by Kalahandi (7,543), Koraput (7,007), Kandhamal (5,062), and Malkangiri (3,888). After dropping to 0.52 in 2022, the annual parasite index (API) surged to 0.93 in 2023, exceeding four in five districts. In Rayagada, it was above 10, in Kandhamal, 6.9, in Malkangiri, 6.3, in Koraput, 5.07, and 4.7 in Kalahandi.
Health professionals in the state’s malaria-prone regions linked the startling increase in cases to a decline in security and alterations in the local population’s behavior toward recommended regular activities.
LLINs have an insecticide action that lasts for up to three years, or twenty washes. By the end of 2022, the nets that were provided in the areas that were at risk of malaria in 2019 were to be changed. Even after almost a year, the nets have not been changed. A health staff member said, “The old nets in many villages have been damaged, and people did not use the nets at all last summer due to the oppressive weather, which resulted in a rise in malaria cases.”
Four years ago, the state supplied up to 1.16 crore nets. The cargo has not yet arrived in Odisha, despite the state government’s request early last year for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) to provide 1.56 crore new LLINs. Dr. Niranjan Mishra, the director of public health, acknowledged that either decreased or no usage of LLINs might have contributed to an increase in instances, but said that if stored correctly, the nets can last longer than three years. In addition, the WHO has issued a warning that climate change will result in an increase in the incidence of zoonotic illnesses like malaria. In the districts with a high caseload, we have increased awareness and taken more action,” he said.
According to medical experts, rather than waiting for the Central supply and for the number of malaria patients to increase, Odisha, which is spending a lot of money on health facilities and treatment, should have purchased LLINs and distributed them.
Since there was only one bidder for the deal that was held last year, Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Shalini Pandit said that the Center’s delivery of nets is being delayed. This year, the MoHFW has re-tendered. Odisha was unable to acquire because of litigation about the mosquito net tender, she said. Odisha, which had 3.23 lakh malaria cases in 2017, was once considered to have a high prevalence state. However, since 2018, thanks to the widespread distribution of LLINs and Durgama Anchalare Malaria Nirakaran (DAMaN), a multi-component malaria intervention in remote villages, the state has seen an 80% decline in malaria cases, receiving praise from the World Health Organization.
