Researchers identify malaria hotspots in Mizoram nearing Bangladesh border

As Mizoram shares international borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar, malaria control in this region is critical for malaria elimination efforts in all three countries, reads a research published in Nature Portfolio.

Between 2015-21, the highest number of cases were reported from Mizoram's Lawngtlai (20,074), followed by Mamit (15,631), and Lunglei (13,580); these districts share international borders with Bangladesh, cites the research titled "Malaria hotspots and climate change trends in the hyper-endemic malaria settings of Mizoram along the India–Bangladesh borders".

In India, in the last decade, malaria cases and deaths have declined significantly; 1018 deaths in 2010 have steeply decreased to 93 in 2020.

For identifying hotspots for targeted intervention, the research analyses malaria data from 385 public health sub-centers across Mizoram in the Geographic Information System.

Almost all the sub-centers reporting high Annual Parasite Index (> 10) are located in Mizoram's districts that border Bangladesh, reads the research article.

The research says, Mizoram, located in North Eastern India, shares the majority of its western borders with the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, and its eastern and southern borders with the Chin Hills of Myanmar.

The cases peak from June to September, which is the monsoon season in Mizoram. Mizoram is considered to be one of the major routes for the entry of drug-resistant parasites from Southeast Asia (SEA) to NE India.

India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar have all committed to malaria eradication by 2030; the porous borders shared by Mizoram with these two countries could allow the movement of parasites and vectors in either-directions jeopardising the malaria elimination efforts of all three countries.