The rate of malaria affliction has steadily come down in Maharashtra over the years, thanks to the effective implementation of anti-malaria measures, a top state government official has claimed.

The total number of malaria cases for the one year period till August 2002 as per government records is 16,000 as compared to 53,000 for the same period in 2001. Again the number of Plasmodium falciparum cases has declined from 18,000 to 3000 in the current year till August. The number of deaths this year are 10 compared to last year's 50.

Malaria cases numbered 3.8 lakh in 1995-96 of which 1.37 lakh had become afflicted by P. falciparum, causing 242 deaths. The total number of blood smear collections was 129.04 lakh.

It may be noted that the State has developed its own plan for malaria in tune with the Central government's Malaria Action Plan 1995.

The state considers the village as the unit for indoor residual spraying with synthetic pyrethroid, and under strict supervision of field staff. During 2002, the population covered so far in the spraying programme was 23.22 lakh, the source said.

Detection of malaria cases by active case detection/passive case detection and giving them treatment with complete and correct dose is the key to reduce the morbidity and mortality due to malaria, according to a report prepared by the malaria department. The earlier the treatment, the lesser will be the transmission. This also helps in reducing the deaths due to malaria.

The major steps taken are surveillance, decentralization of laboratory services. Weekly or fortnightly active surveillance, or house to house visit, is done by peripheral health workers in high risk area and fortnightly in the remaining non-risk area.

Laboratory technicians, who were working at district headquarters, were shifted to peripheral institutions. In order to avoid delay in blood smear examinations, temporary field workers are also appointed as temporary laboratory technicians.

Considering the development of insecticide resistance, and environment pollution by chemical insecticides, the state has adopted the biological method of utilizing larvivorous fish, ie, guppy fish.

Maharashtra started introducing the fish at suitable mosquito breeding places in a phased manner. Up to now, 9675 guppy fish hatcheries have been established from which the fish is released in 58,600 suitable mosquito breeding places.

The government says the use of medicated mosquito nets have brought down the number of malaria incidences since 1997 when such nets have been distributed in selected 414 villages.

Malaria is transmitted from an infected person to a non-infected person by the bites of Anopheles mosquito. The malarial gamete is sucked up from the infected person by the mosquito and carried in its gut until the mosquito bites an uninfected person. The bite injects the gamete into the blood stream where it travels to the kidney to mature.

Infectious diseases are responsible for almost half of mortality in developing countries. Approximately half of infectious disease mortality can be attributed to just three diseases - HIV, TB and malaria. These three diseases cause over 300 million illnesses and more than 5 million deaths each year. None of these diseases has an effective vaccine to prevent infection in children and adults.