Bhubaneswar: The health and family welfare department has directed chief district medical and public health officers to intensify awareness programmes to control malaria during monsoon, as Odisha remains one of India’s highest malaria-burden states.Dr Rabindra Nath Mishra, director of public health, Odisha, said the department has undertaken several information, education and communication activities to create public awareness on malaria prevention.He said the department is holding meetings to discuss prevention of vector-borne diseases. “We are reviewing the situation at regular intervals to check any rise in malaria cases. We are taking all necessary steps to control dengue and malaria in the state,” he added.According to National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control, Odisha reported 62,137 malaria cases in 2025, accounting for about 26.6% of India’s 2.34 lakh cases that year. The state also recorded 43,153 Plasmodium falciparum cases, the deadlier strain of malaria, indicating that Odisha continues to contribute a significant share of the country’s malaria burden.A longer-term comparison shows that Odisha’s malaria cases rose from 23,770 in 2022 to 41,973 in 2023, surged to 68,693 in 2024, and then declined slightly to 62,137 in 2025. During the same period, India’s total malaria cases rose from 1.76 lakh in 2022 to 2.55 lakh in 2024 before falling to 2.33 lakh in 2025.The latest data for Jan-June 2026 provides some relief. Odisha recorded 17,977 cases during the period. India reported 69,713 cases in the same period, with Odisha contributing around 25.8% of the national caseload. Odisha also reported 12,577 PF cases and no malaria deaths so far in 2026.The figures show that while Odisha has made progress in controlling malaria mortality, it continues to remain a key malaria hotspot in India, contributing roughly one-fourth of the country’s cases and a substantial share of PF infections.The health and family welfare department has also appealed to people to keep their surroundings clean to prevent Aedes mosquito breeding to control dengue. Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that spreads dengue, can breed in clean water. “We are advising people not to allow mosquito breeding in their houses or surroundings. Tin cans, open plastic bottles, coconut shells and other open containers collect rainwater and become favourable breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Such breeding sources near houses should be destroyed,” a health official said.
