Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has requested the central government to provide 1.56 crore Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLIN) to curb malaria cases in the state.
State Health and Family Welfare minister Niranjan Pujari Monday wrote a letter to Union Health Minister Mansukh L Mandaviya, in this regard.
Pujari highlighted that the Centre had provided 1.56 crore LLINs to Odisha in 2020-21, effectively preventing malaria infections among highly vulnerable populations. The replacement of these nets, scheduled for 2023, has been delayed by nearly a year, leaving the state susceptible to a surge in malaria cases, he said.
Pujari urged the central government to promptly supply the LLINs to prevent further escalation of malaria cases.
According to the National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control (NCVBDC), Odisha recorded the highest number of malaria cases in 2023 among all states with 41,971 cases.
Odisha was followed by Chhattisgarh (31,713), Jharkhand (31,140), West Bengal (26,493), Tripura (22,412), Mizoram (17,991), Maharashtra (16,164) and Uttar Pradesh (13,585).
PTI