NEW DELHI:
Fight against malaria
has to be scaled at the level of
polio eradication programme
to end the disease in India by 2030,
Martin Edlund
, CEO of
Malaria No More
(MNM) told TOI.
A not-for-profit organisation, MNM is working with the Odisha government to support malaria-free goal. Odisha is one of the most
malaria
endemic states in India. However, due to sustained efforts from government agencies and the accredited social health activists (ASHAs), Edlund said there has been a significant decline in cases over the last two years.
“The Odisha government launched an innovative programme called ‘Durgama Anchalare Malaria Nirakarana’ (DAMaN) in 2017. Under this, the process of screening and treatment of affected individuals in high-burden districts started before monsoon itself. Long-lasting insecticidal nets were distributed at large scale. Also, programmes were run to mobilise the community and educate them about steps to be taken to reduce stagnation of water for source control,” Edlund said.
Sanjeev Singh Gaikwad, the India Country Director at MNM, said they plan to expand the end-malaria campaign nationally in partnership with Times Internet and Star India.
Malaria is one of the most persistent health challenges in India, and the central government has prepared the national strategic plan that aims to eliminate the disease in the country by 2030.
MNM was established in December 2006, by Peter Chernin and Raymond G Chambers with a vision of a world where no one dies from a
mosquito
bite.
Edlund said malaria was discovered in India in 1857. “The solution to end this disease will also come from India. This is a country of innovation and we have come across many initiatives taken by the states fighting the disease that can be replicated in countries that are malaria-endemic,” he added.
According to the latest world malaria report, released in November 2018, there were 219 million cases in 2017, up from 217 million cases in 2016. Five countries accounted for nearly half of all malaria cases worldwide in 2017: Nigeria (25%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (11%), Mozambique (5%), India (4%) and Uganda (4%).
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