Bhubaneswar: Odisha has intensified malaria surveillance and containment measures after reporting 37,899 cases and nine deaths till Aug this year, health officials said.The health and family welfare department has directed field teams in malaria-prone districts to step up active case detection, rapid testing and immediate treatment, particularly in high-burden and vulnerable pockets where transmission remains a concern.Dr Sanjay Kumar Mohapatra, director in-charge of public health, said surveillance has been strengthened from the sub-centre level and health workers have been asked to screen people with fever and other malaria-like symptoms. Suspected cases are being tested through rapid diagnostic kits, and positive patients are being put on treatment without delay to prevent complications and further spread.“Routine surveillance is being conducted regularly from the sub-centre level. The state govt aims to further reduce the malaria burden through aggressive surveillance, quick treatment and targeted interventions in endemic pockets over the coming months. We have started receiving positive results too,” Mohapatra said.Officials said anti-malaria activities, including drug distribution, vector-control measures and monitoring of case trends, have been scaled up in affected districts. The department is also tracking emerging hotspots and ensuring adequate availability of testing kits and medicines at healthcare facilities.Health workers have been instructed to intensify awareness drives on use of long-lasting insecticidal nets, mosquito-bite prevention and early medical consultation for fever. Officials said community participation remains critical, especially in tribal and forested areas where malaria transmission is often higher because of difficult terrain and delayed access to healthcare.Despite the high caseload, the department said timely diagnosis and treatment have helped keep deaths low. Officials said early detection continues to be the most effective strategy to break the chain of transmission and reduce severe cases.Odisha remains one of India’s major malaria-burden states, though cases have declined sharply from earlier peaks. The state’s 37,899 cases till Aug accounted for about 26.6% of 1.42 lakh malaria cases reported across the country during the same period.The caseload is lower than the 68,693 cases reported in Odisha in 2024, but sustained transmission in endemic pockets has prompted the govt to maintain intensified surveillance, testing and treatment drives in the coming months.
