Malaria took 84 lives in Chattisgarh in 2012

The number of deaths caused by malaria in Chhattisgarh in 2012 were 84 - double the number of fatalities last year, state Health Minister Amar Agrawal told the assembly Thursday. In a written reply to Congress member Kuldeep Singh Juneja, the minister admitted that 84 people died due to Malaria till Nov 1 this year while the death toll was 42 in 2011 and 47 in 2010. The worst-hit districts are Raipur, Bastar and Bilaspur.

The minister said posts of district-level malaria officer were lying vacant in nine of the state's total 27 districts. In reply to another question, the minister said a total of 93,218 people were affected by malaria in 2012. Eight people died due to dengue while three succumbed to swine flu in the state in 2012.

What is malaria?

Malaria is an infectious disease that is caused by mosquito-borne plasmodium parasite which infects the red blood cells. It s one of the deadliest diseases in India. There s no vaccine for malaria yet and immunity occurs naturally through repeated infection. Common symptoms are fever, chills, vomiting, nausea, body ache, headache, cough and diarrhoea. If untreated, it can lead to complications like jaundice, dehydration, anaemia, brain malaria, liver failure and kidney failure. Children, pregnant women, and the elderly anyone with decreased immunity is at a greater risk.

With inputs from IANS