Punjab to be Malaria Free by 2020

Chandigarh, May 24, 2016: Punjab is one of the 15 states which are in Category 1 known as Elimination Phase and expected to interrupt transmission of malaria and achieve zero indigenous cases and deaths due to malaria. Punjab has already expressed keen commitment for Malaria Elimination by 2020. This was stated here today by Ms.Vini Mahajan, Principal Secretary, Health, Punjab. She said that National Framework for Malaria Elimination (NFME 2016-2030) has been launched with the goal to eliminate malaria from the country by 2030, however being a category 1 state, Punjab aspires to become Malaria free by 2020, itself.
The State of Punjab has seen a decline of 80% in the number of total malaria cases since 2010 and the decline has been witnessed in all district of the State. P-vivax malaria remains the main malaria as out of total cases of malaria in the state, approximately 98% cases are due to P-vivax and remaining due to P-falciparum. Annual Parasite incidence (API) depicting the case load of Malaria in an area is the main index for the implementation of Malaria Elimination Program in the country. Govt. of India has kept a target of API less than 1 for Malaria Elimination. All the 22 districts in the State have API less than 1, and all the health blocks in the State have API less than 1. As per the epidemiological reports of the State, only 52 villages have API>1 and interventions to further bring down the incidence of the disease have been undertaken in these 52 villages, added Ms Mahajan.
She told that Malaria has been declared as a notified disease in the State so that the public as well as private health institutions have to report each suspected and confirm case of Malaria to the Department of Health and Family Welfare. Punjab is also the first State in the country to use Malaria Treatment Card to ensure supervised and complete treatment of each case of Malaria. The testing of Malaria with microscopy is done free of cost in all the Government Hospitals and the treatment of Malaria is also provided free of cost to the patients in the State.
Principal Secretary told that department of health has developed hatcheries for breeding of Gambusia fishes in the districts. These fishes are larvivorous fishes and feed on the larvae of the mosquitoes responsible for spread of Malaria i.e. Anopheles. These fishes are being released in the ponds and perennial water bodies in the rural and urban areas of the districts to ensure prevention of breeding of mosquitoes. Any area, where a case of Malaria is reported is subjected to spray with suitable larvicides and insecticides. She said that Malaria in the indigenous population of Punjab has decreased to a large extent and the only concern is the migrant population, which can import malaria from other states and cause outbreak of malaria in Punjab and such areas are being focused accordingly.