Orissa tops malaria death list, 2,368 died in 8 yrs

BHUBANESWAR, Sept. 5 — With 2,368 deaths in the last eight years, Orissa has the highest number of malaria deaths in the country.

"High incidence of malaria deaths in Orissa is the main cause of concern for the Centre. The state tops the list of malaria deaths in India," P K Pradhan, Additional Secretary in Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry said here today.

Out of the total 7,25,502 cerebral malaria cases reported from across the country in 2008, 45 per cent came from Orissa, he said.

Pradhan, also director of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), was addressing a national workshop on 'Equity, Quality & Accountability' in the NRHM.

Even as the National Anti-Malaria Programme (NAMP), renamed as National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), was implemented in Orissa since 1953, the state contributed to 25 per cent of malaria deaths in the country, official sources said. (PNA/PTI)

LBV/rsm

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