4 months ago
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Tamil Nadu is inching person towards malaria eradication, with 33 of its 38 districts reporting zero indigenous cases successful the past 3 years.
Chennai is among the 5 districts that are yet to execute zero transmission, accounting for astir 37%-45% of the State’s malaria cases, adjacent arsenic the fig has fallen from 173 successful 2023 to 121 successful 2025.
According to information from the Directorate of Public Health (DPH) and Preventive Medicine, the fig of cases successful the State has travel down importantly from 5,587 to 321 successful the decennary since 2015.
With the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Center for Vector Borne Diseases Control (NCVBDC) mounting a people to destruct malaria from India by 2030, each indispensable measures are being implemented successful Tamil Nadu to stamp retired the disease.
In the past 3 years, determination person been nary malaria outbreaks, with the Annual Parasite Incidence reduced to beneath 1%, according to the DPH.
“We are adjacent to eliminating malaria. The fig of cases has been coming down. There person been nary cases successful 33 districts. We are continuing with surveillance measures,” according to A. Somasundaram, Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. “Our malaria tract workers cod 100 humor samples for humor smear investigating each month, and we besides person passive surveillance by monitoring fever cases reported astatine Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Government Hospitals (GHs). We person a wide web for surveillance, and immoderate forecasting motion oregon clustering of cases is documented and monitored,” helium added.
Thirty-three districts person achieved ‘Category 0’, indicating a malaria-free status, while Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi, Chengalpattu, Salem, and the Greater Chennai Corporation are the places that person been signaling cases successful the past 3 years. Preventive measures are being implemented successful these 5 districts, the DPH said.
There are, however, definite areas of concern. Epidemiological classification of the past three-year information indicates that the bulk of the reported cases person been imported alternatively than indigenous. Notably, 330 retired of 384 cases successful 2023, 208 retired of 347 cases successful 2024, and 203 retired of 321 cases successful 2025 were imported.
Officials accidental determination are concerns owing to migration and cross-border question from the endemic areas. “Individuals who person not received afloat attraction whitethorn proceed to beryllium carriers. This is 1 of our concerns. We person surveillance measures successful place, including successful operation zones,” Dr. Somasundaram added.
Along with regular malaria surveillance activities at GHs and PHCs and field-level preventive measures, migrant labourers affected by malaria and arriving from neighbouring States are intimately monitored.
A nationalist league with the nonsubjective of eliminating malaria is scheduled for January 19, 20, and 21. The Central Monitoring Team of the NCVBDC will reappraisal the preventive measures taken by the State. At this meeting, the zero-case presumption achieved by 33 districts volition beryllium validated, and recommendations volition beryllium made for assistance of district-level malaria elimination certificates, according to the DPH.
