Agartala, March 23 (TIWN): There is report of outbreak malaria in remote areas of Gandhacherra sub division, resulting panic in the tribal hamlets. A medical team has been sent from the subdivision to take stock of the situation.

 The outbreak was reported at Girachandra para and Baghirati para. There are also report of water borne disease and diarrhea. There are over 150 families in the area most of the children are affected by malaria. The SDM of Gandhacherra Bhaskar Datta had visited the affected area. There are no permanent sources of safe drinking water, they have to depend on water available in local riverine. Last year in the same tribal hamlets number of children due to malaria outbreak.

The malaria outbreak in the state last year  has caused more than 100 deaths in the past two months prompting calls of “medical negligence” from some opposition groups in the state. Malnutrition is common among tribal children in Tripura, and so they become easy targets of the killer disease. Half of those who died in the current outbreak were children below 10 years.

As the incidence of malaria peaks in June and July in the northeastern states, the preventive exercises usually begin in April. But this year, the Tripura government woke up to prevent  the  outbreak of malaria. Spraying of DDT is reported to be completed at all malaria prone areas of the state. Besides there are enough stock of medicines at all hospitals.