Odisha: In malaria hotbed, a remote, tribal village fights

One recent August day, a festive atmosphere enveloped Budabirmaha hamlet in the tribal Kandhamal district of Odisha. The day had started with dancing to the beating of drums as the villagers welcomed their “guests”, health workers who would test them for malaria.

“Whoever tests positive should complete the medicine course without fail,” Salman Mallick, the village’s health volunteer, told the gathering in the local Kui language.

With this, the team set about testing all 189 villagers in the first of two mass screenings to be conducted each year—before and after the monsoon rains–under a joint programme by Tata Trusts and the Government of Odisha that aims to reduce malaria deaths by 100% and malaria incidence by 40% by 2021.

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Courtesy: hindustan times