Vol. 8, Issue 5 (2019)

Author(s):
Sajal Bhattacharya and Shakya Sinha

Abstract:
In India, approximately 1.5 million cases of malaria and about 1000 deaths are reported annually. According to WHO (WHO, 2018), India has recorded nearly 25% decline in malaria cases within 2016 to 2017. However, India’s seemingly achievable target of malaria elimination by the year 2030 has so far proved to be a challenging road, particularly in the tribal areas, which are mostly inaccessible forested areas in the plain, hilly and mountainous terrain. Tribal people constitute approximately 8.6% of the population but contribute a substantial malaria burden of the country. The high incidence of Plasmodium falciparum infection in the tribal people of some areas is a matter of great concern. Global warming is likely to reshape the ecology of many vector mosquitoes in tribal areas and will have wide ranging consequences on the ecology and epidemiology of malaria. Insecticide resistance to vectors, drug resistance to P. falciparum, various socio-economic factors are creating a complex malariogenic and mosquitogenic situations in the tribal areas. Moreover India is surrounded by malaria endemic countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar and Pakistan. In India most of the international border areas are porous in nature and not under the ambit of any epidemiological surveillance. A comprehensive eco-epidemiological study encompassing various tribal dominated regions of the country is required to formulate an inclusive policy and area-wise strategy for the elimination of tribal malaria.