Agartala, July 19 (TIWN): One more kid died today from malaria raising the death toll to 71. Over 700 were diagnosed to have freshly contacted the parasite in different areas of the state. The final figure of malaria infected people across the state was pegged at 35 thousand 816 after the day’s count today, a highly placed source in the Department of Health and Family Welfare said here today.

Asked about the latest status of malaria death in the state, the source said that Charmajoy Tripura (2.6), son of Debendra Tripura from Ananda Roaja Para of Natinmanu area in Dhalai district died at Chowmanu Primary Health Center (PHC). A total of 2,821 fever patients underwent blood tests in different health camps, hospitals and healthcare institutions today. 704 out of them were confirmed to have contacted malaria. The state Health Department records currently suggest that 2 lakh 3 thousad 620 fever patients were treated since the beginning of large scale institutional treatment on June 13 on the wake of malaria outbreak.

The source today further said that there is no dearth of anti-malaria drugs in the state. “We have got sufficient drugs and we have recently got over 1 lakh Rapid Diagnosis Test (RDT) kits”, the source informed. It added that the state government laid highest stress on proper maintenance of the malaria treatment protocol.

A three member delegation of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), that arrived in the state on Thursday to investigate into the reasons of largescale malaria outbreak this year, started visit in the distant hamlets of Longtraivalley sub-division of Dhalai district yesterday. The delegation headed by Dr. Hemant Sharma would be staying in the state for the next two months.