Alipurduar: Alipurduar Block II has emerged as a malaria hotspot, with an unexpected spike in cases reported from the Simlabari and Dangapara areas. 12 residents, including a 70-year-old woman and a five-year-old child, are currently undergoing treatment at Jashodanga Rural Hospital.
According to hospital sources, nine of the patients have been admitted to the women’s ward and three to the men’s ward. Health workers said more suspected cases are being monitored in nearby localities.
Concerned by the sudden outbreak, the district Health department has launched an awareness campaign in the affected areas and begun distributing medicated mosquito nets to residents. Initial investigations have revealed that most of the infections are cases of forest malaria.
Officials believe the proximity of the Buxa Tiger Reserve is a key factor, as Anopheles mosquitoes—known carriers of the malaria parasite—are breeding within the forest and subsequently entering nearby human settlements.
Health officials stressed that the most effective way to prevent infection is the regular use of mosquito nets, especially in forest-adjacent villages.
District Deputy CMOH-2 Supriya Chowdhury said: “We hope that once winter sets in fully, the malaria outbreak will come under control. People living near forest areas have been advised to use mosquito nets mandatorily to protect themselves.”