Interestingly, according to state surveillance officer and entomologist, the number of cases in rural Maharashtra have gone down, while they have seen a rise in city areas like Mumbai and Thane.
Cases of malaria and related deaths in the state have been decreasing over the last three years, reveals government data. While the state recorded 23,983 cases in 2016, the cases have decreased to 17,710 cases in 2017 and 9,322 in 2018 respectively.
Interestingly, according to state surveillance officer and entomologist, the number of cases in rural Maharashtra have gone down, while they have seen a rise in city areas like Mumbai and Thane.
Entomologist Mahendra Jagtap said, "In the malaria-problem areas, especially Gadchiroli, we have distributed around 6.5 lakh long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) which are promoted by WHO as a sustainable method for protection against malaria. Over the last few months, more cases have been detected in urban population rather than rural or tribal population."
Similarly, the number of deaths have also reduced. In 2016, around 26 citizens died due to malaria. In 2017, the number of deaths reduced to 20 and in 2018, the number further decreased to 10.
"We also do house-to-house survey in the rural and tribal areas to create awareness. We have increased the manpower for awareness, screening and treatment purpose due to which the number of cases has reduced," added Jagtap.
Speaking about the cases detected in urban areas, Jagtap, said, "The main reason for urban areas having more cases includes migration of citizens to earn their livelihood. We have been creating awareness among people working on construction sites to complete their treatment and not leave medical treatment halfway.
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