Nagaland witnessing decreasing trend of Malaria positive cases and deaths

Malaria-positive cases in Nagaland have decreased from 8,479 in 2009 to only five in 2022, while malaria fatalities have also decreased from 35 to zero within the same time period. 

Dr Neisakho Kere, State Programme Officer, National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), stated this at a presentation on World Malaria Day on the topic 'Time to Deliver Zero Malaria: Invest, Innovate, Implement' here on April 26. 

He stated that between 2005 and 2022, the largest number of Malaria positive cases was found in 2009, and it decreased to five in 2022, adding that Dimapur, Kohima, Peren, and Phek reported positive cases, but other districts did not. 

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During the same time period, the number of malaria deaths in Nagaland was 75 in 2006, 35 in 2009, however after a patient died in 2016, the malaria mortality rate has been zero from 2017 to 2022. 

Malaria Pf cases in the state peaked at 2,893 in 2009, but have since dropped to just two in 2022, while Malaria Pv cases peaked at 5,596 in 2009, and have likewise dropped to three in 2022, according to him. 

The parasites that cause malaria in humans are known as 'Pf' or Plasmodium falciparum and 'Pv' or Plasmodium vivax. Pf produces the most severe form of the disease, which can show as cerebral malaria (cerebral malaria) and is responsible for the majority of deaths globally. Pv is still a deadly condition, but it is generally milder. Both kinds are readily treated and totally curable if detected early, according to the information. 

While India aims for zero malaria infections by 2030, he claims that eight districts in Nagaland have no positive instances. 

The state's National Centre for Vector Borne Disease Control has been progressively advancing towards a malaria-free Nagaland, according to Dr Vibeituouno M. Sachu, Principal Director of the Health and Family Welfare Department. Sachu stated that this is a significant step towards their objective of eliminating malaria, but that much more work is still to be done in order to achieve a malaria-free state. 

Y Kikheto Sema, Commissioner and Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, stated that while the state honours World Malaria Day, there is a need to raise awareness about the catastrophic effect of malaria on health, social, and economic implications. 

Nagaland requires an information campaign and a sanitation effort engaging all sectors of the population to eliminate malaria by 2030, he added. 

Three outstanding Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) from Kohima district health clinics were also recognised for their efforts in collecting blood samples for malaria testing and raising awareness.