AGARTALA, June 13 (TIWN): Tripura Health Minister Badal Choudhury suspended three health department workers and ordered action on eighteen others as the malaria outbreak escalated in Gandacherra sub-division of Dhalai district on Friday.

The death toll reportedly rose to twenty as three more persons were reported dead on Friday. Health Minister Choudhury, who visited three tribal hamlets of Gandacherra today, confirmed that the death toll rose to twenty. He urged for emergency steps to contain the situation.

The minister convened an urgent meeting with District Magistrate (DM), Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Sub-Divisional Medical Officer (SDMO) and other officials at Gandacherra Revenue Dak Bungalow this morning where he passed instructions for immediate action on eighteen ASHA and Anganwadi workers. He ordered suspension three Multi Purpose Workers (MPW) as well.

A high level medical team was deployed on Thursday to take stock of the situation and start immediate action on war footing. The team reached Gandacherra this morning. Two local medical teams from Gandacherra sub-division were deployed earlier. A specialist team of doctors from Agartala visited Gandacherra for a day two days back.

Local sources said later this evening that the malaria outbreak which reportedly started around for days back, shaped into a pandemic till date. East Gobindabari, West Gobindabari, Malidhar, Natinmanu, Rajdhar, Manipur areas under Longtraivalley sub-division in Dhalai district and large tracts of Gandacherra, Chowmanu sub-divisions were worst hit by the epidemic condition, the source said.

It added that the malaria epidemic worsened at Bhagirath Para, Wannesa Para and Gira Chandra Para of Gandacherra sub-division in the past 24 hours.

Tripura is currently having a crude death rate of 5.0 against the national average of 7.1, Infant Mortality Rate is 29. Sex ratio in the state stands at 961, compared to the national average of 940.

A highly placed official of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme recently said that there are confirmed reports of prevalence of Malaria in several areas of Gomati and Dhalai districts. The state could utilize 21 percent of the entire bulk of funds sanctioned for the state in 2013-2014.

Over four hundred persons are currently admitted at Gandacherra sub-divisional hospital, hospital sources said. It added that 345 of them were diagnosed with malaria parasite.

Witnessing the pathetic condition of treatment, nineteen patients left the hospital and went back home later on Friday evening.