Bastar, the Red zone in south Chhattisgarh which has so far not received the deserving attention to fight the malaria menace, has the Annual Parasite Incidence (API) of over 10—rated among the highest in the country. API-10 is equivalent to 10 confirmed cases per thousand population and Bastar is among the very few geographical locations endemic to malaria parasites—Plasmodium vivax and P. falciparum.
The prevalence of malaria cases recorded were highest during the months of January, July and November, as per the previous 3 years data. Hence, a three-phase ‘Malaria Free Bastar’ campaign would be carried out during these months to eliminate malarial parasites entirely. The state has come up with a plan to eliminate Malaria from Bastar through door-to-door ‘Mass Active Screening and Treatment’ process, which will continue till February 14 under the campaign.