SHILLONG: In what can be termed as healthy trend, the number of deaths in the State from the disease of Malaria have decline with each passing year.
Revealing this here on Friday, during the launching of the Centre for Complex Malaria Research, Health and Family Welfare department, Deputy Director, Dr R. Lyngdoh said that the number of deaths from malaria cases in the State was 79 in 2015 while in 2016, the number of deaths have gone down to 45.
“From January till August this year, the number of deaths from malaria is six,” Dr Lyngdoh said.
She further informed that the total number of malaria cases detected in the State has reduced drastically in the past three years with 48,603 cases detected in 2015, 35,024 cases in 2016 while a total number of 12,498 cases were detected till August this year.
Lyngdoh further informed that in 2016, the cases of malaria has decreased to around 27.94 per cent, and till August this year, it went down to 49.92 per cent.
Moreover, the Deputy Director in her presentation informed that in Jaintia Hills, a total number of 1750 malaria cases were detected in 2016, while the number malaria cases detected upto August this year was only 577.
She informed that the number of deaths from malaria cases in Jaintia Hills was 9 in 2015, 2 in 2016 and this year till the month of August, just one case of death was reported.
Later, while addressing the gathering after the launching of the Centre for Complex Malaria in the State, Additional Chief Secretary, PW Ingty said that the Centre would generate base line data on status of malaria disease in Jaintia Hills and West Garo Hills.
He further said that these data would help in designing effective measures as to how to tackle the problem of malaria in the State as a whole.
According to Ingty, this centre for malaria research would be able to function successfully and effectively only with the lot of support and cooperation of the Directorate of Health Services at the State level and also of the field level officers across the State.
