AGARTALA, June 18 (TIWN): Malaria death toll in Tripura rose to twenty eight on Wednesday with a whopping infected population of around 2,000 across the state. Sixteen more, who died in different interior villages of the state till the end of May this year, are feared to have been killed by the epidemic. Investigation has been set afoot to ascertain reason of their deaths, Tripura Healh Minister Badal Choudhury said here today.

Addressing the media at the civil secretariat here today,  the minister said that the malaria epidemic has spread in mist sub-divisions of the state by now. Dhalai, Gomati and South Tripura districts were worst affected by the crisis, he said.
Speaking about the recent inputs from field sources, the minister said that three persons were dead from malaria in the past three days. 1,638 persons were diagnosed with malari parasite till Tuesday. 31 positive cases were found in Gandacherra sub-division alone today. More reports are coming in from other areas of the state,  Choudhury stated.
Asked about why DDT sprays were not made in interior villages of the state in the past 2 years, Health Minister Choudhury said that the Department of Environment had severe reservations on the issue. "We have started DDT spraying across the state now. We are doing it against the guidelines of the Environment Department", he added.
Choudhury further stated that MPWs who were miasing in their concerned workstations since initial outbreak of Malari in Gandacherra and Longtraivalley earlier in May couldn't be 'found' till date. "We gave ordered to immediately suspend them, start investigation on their negligence and award suitable punishment if necessary", he said. 
Almost all patients killed in he epidemic till date were kids below 10 years of age. Nearly all of them were from areas under the jurisdiction of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), the minister said.