CM Congratulates ‘Asha Didis’ For 80% Reduction In Malaria In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday tweeted congratulating Asha didis, the leaders of Mission Shakti and its various initiatives, for having contributed in bringing down the percentage of malaria patients in Odisha. According to the latest report of WHO, Odisha is the best performing state in India in its fight against malaria.

He wrote, “Odisha has emerged as the best performing state with 80% reduction in malaria by significantly expanding access to diagnostics and treatment, pioneering effort to upgrade skills of health workers & SHGs by Mission Shakti. Congratulate our Asha Didis.”

India has topped the progress in reducing malaria cases among the 11 highest burden countries, registering a 24% decrease in 2017 compared to 2016. According to the report, malaria cases have declined from 3,23,800 in 2017 to 55,365 in 2018 for the same duration, along with a drop in deaths to single digits in Odisha.

Read the full report here.

“Malaria is a potentially life threatening disease caused by parasites (Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium ovale) that are transmitted through the bite of infected Anopheles mosquitoes,” reads the WHO website.

“Through innovations, such as improving healthcare worker skills, expanding access to diagnostics and treatment and strengthening data collection, Odisha is doing what it takes to fight this preventable but deadly disease,” it said. The report suggests that 1,25 billion Indians still, however, remain at the risk of getting diagnosed with malaria. The report says, approximately 70% of the world’s malaria burden is concentrated in 11 countries, which include 10 from sub-Saharan Africa and India. As many as 2,74,000 death cases were reported in these 11 countries in 2017. The number of malaria patients rose from 217 million in 2016 to 219 million in 2017.

As many as 2,74,000 death cases were reported in these 11 countries in 2017. In 2017, the number of malaria patients rose from 217 million in 2016 to 219.