AGARTALA, June 22(TIWN): The three member central expert delegation on malaria on Sunday arrived in Tripura to assess reasons of massive malaria outbreak which cost 40 lives in the past one and a half month. The team comprising of Additional Director of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Program Dr. Avadhesh Kumar, Regional Director (Malaria) Dr. Satyabrata Sen and a technician and insect collection expert met officials and senior doctors of the state Health Department at Gorkhabasti here this morning.

The delegation is scheduled to move to Dhalai district and few other affected areas in the state after the meeting. One more load of air cargo comprising of anti-malaria drugs including Quinine, Actal, Artesunate IP, Primaquin and Chloroquin reached the state today. Asked about the latest situation of anti-malaria drug availability in Tripura, Health Minister Badal Choudhury said that there wouldn’t be any dearth of medicine for at least next seven days. “We are flying cargoes of medicine directly from Delhi. The Tripura Chemists and Druggists Association was asked to put up joint effort in stockpiling all anti-malaria drugs that they have with them.

They have assured us to provide all the support possible. We are expecting a sizeable amount of medicine by the next 2-3 days”, Choudhury said. While road connectivity was disrupted in several areas of the state due to heavy rainfall and storms in the past few days, anti malaria drugs are being airlifted to few Border Outposts (BOP) operating helipads. All security force personnel including BSF, TSR, CRPF, Assam Rifles etc have been asked to cooperate by providing necessary medicines in the far-flung villages. According to the latest available statistics, which is 72 hours old, a total of 21 thousand 914 patients are suffering from fever across the state. Over 3,300 of them were confirmed to have been afflicted with malaria.