The health directorate carried out a week-long malaria vector control and elimination crash programme at 100 identified hotspots of malaria-carrying mosquitoes in three hilly districts – Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachhari.
The Communicable Disease Control (CDC) unit of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) carried out the programme at the hotspots. Each of the hotspots has around 100 households.
A group of entomologists, epidemiologists and medical technologists from Dhaka conducted the programme with the help from local NGOs, health workers and locals.
DGHS sources said malaria has been prevalent in 13 districts across the country, with most cases recorded in the three hilly districts of Chittagong division.
Dr Be-Nazir Ahmed, director of the CDC, told the Dhaka Tribune that an earlier pilot programme in four villages of Bandarban had achieved positive results in 2012, prompting the DGHS to go for a crash programme at the hotspots.
Under the programme, the entomologists first surveyed and mapped the reproductive sites of Anopheles mosquitoes – the vector for malaria – and later cleared the places where the mosquitoes left their larvae, said the CDC director.
On the other hand, the epidemiologists met with the locals to seek out patients who may have malaria and provide them with necessary treatment. Mass awareness programmes on malaria control and elimination were also carried out in the local communities.
“We want to build confidence among the locals and include them with the programme so that they do not think it is just a routine work of government, but consider it as their own job. We also sought army officials’ help in this programme,” Be-Nazir said.
Although a previous malaria control programme had aimed at distributing special mosquito nets to residents of the hilly districts, the latest programme focused on eliminating malaria vectors.
Bangladesh has reportedly witnessed a 70% reduction in the number of malaria patients in the past five years.
In 2008, the number of malaria patients was 83,000, but it has now come down to 26,000. Over the same period, malaria-related deaths also dropped by 90%, coming down to 15 from 194.
Early detection, proper treatment and use of specialised mosquito nets were reportedly behind the success. Bangladesh is expected to become a malaria-free country by 2020 if the trend continues.
