Amid a surge in malaria patients, the Indian state of Tripura, which shares an 856-km-long international border with Bangladesh, has recorded 3,000 cases since the beginning of the year.
Three children have died of the disease over the period.
Given the situation, the health authorities have intensified testing across the state.
“The number is significantly increasing every day. So, we have scaled up the testing facilities here,” a health official told Dhaka Tribune, preferring anonymity.
He, however, claimed that the number of cases recorded this month was fewer than those June.
The chances of the number of positive cases rising, become stronger in absence of precautions against the mosquito-borne disease, the official said.
Bordering villages in Dhalai district, Gurudhanpara, Sikari Bari in Ambassa, Mungiakami in Khowai, Silachari of Gomati district, and Magrum in Sabroom sub-division of Tripura's South district are worst affected by malaria.
Three sides of the Dhalai district in the Indian state shares a border with Bangladesh.
“Every year we find malaria cases from these areas but this time around, the number is increasing alarmingly compared to the last three years,” the health official said.
Following the sudden spike in malaria cases in hilly parts of Dhalai district, the Tripura government in early June issued an alert in this regard.
In 2019, the number of positive cases was around 12, 000 in Tripura. The figure dropped to 10, 000 last year. From April 2015 to April 2017, malaria cases were on a downward trend. But the caseload started to rise again since.
When asked about this year’s situation, National Health Mission Diector Siddhart Shiv Jaiswal said that the health officials have intensified their surveillance and kept an eye on the outbreak.
As malaria and Covid-19 have similar symptoms, doctors suggest that patients avoid delay in treatment if one has a history of fever, headache, rashes, muscle and joint pain, vomiting and diarrhea.
