AGARTALA, June 25 (TIWN): Malaria killed one with over a thousand newly diagnosed to have been infected on Wednesday. The Health Minister, however, claimed that the disease was largely contained across the state as no new deaths were reported from across the state.A total of 7,792 patients underwent blood tests in different sub-divisions of the state today; 1,338 of them were confirmed to have contacted malaria, Health Minister Badal Choudhury said here today.One Nitai Sarkar (40), resident of Maylakhala area in Agartala was reported to have died at Krishnapur in Teliamura sub-division today. He was reported to have gone to visit his sister at Teliamura where he died at the sub-divisional hospital this afternoon.

The minster, however, said there was no confirmed report of deaths due to malaria today.

Speaking to reporters at the civil secretariat at Agartala this evening, Choudhury said that Tripura’s renowned entomologist Dr. Jhuma Das today reached to Teliamura sub-division to collect insects and figure out reasons of the malaria epidemic that ravaged the entire state with a death toll of 47. A five member specialist team from the Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC) comprising of medicine specialist Dr. Ajit Chowdhury, paediatric specialist Dr. Nilratan Majumder, specialist of community medicine Dr. Subrata Baidya and micro-biologist Dr. Debashish Barman would head for the South Tripura district on Thursday, the minister said. The team would submit a report to the government within seven days.

He added that a third team headed by community medicine specialist Dr. Taranga Reang would reach to South Tripura district and focus on areas like Koaifang, Jolaibari where malaria cases are still coming in large numbers in the hospitals.

A delegation of the Tripura Chemists and Druggists Association led by president Ratan Kumar Roy and secretary Kanti Lal Deb today handed over anti-malaria drugs worth Rs. 60 thousand to Health Minister Badal Choudhury. The drugs handed over to the minister included primaquin 7.5 mg and primaquin 2.5 mg tablets, Artesunate injections and Quinine Sulphate 300 mg tablets. Act-Al drug, one of the firstline drug for malaria recommended for Tripura, is reported to be present in highly insufficient quantities in the local market.

Anti-malaria drugs and disinfectants reached Agartala from outside the state reached Tripura today. More drugs are expected to come from Karnataka soon.

One Bishurai Debbarma, jawan of 129 Battalion of the Border Security Force (BSF) was  referred to the GB Hospital for better treatment. Bishurai was stationed at Khasiamangal.

Asked about latest finding from the central malaria expert team visiting the state for past 48 hours, the minister said that the delegation is slated to return to Agartala on Thursday after visits in Gandacherra, Longtraivalley and few sub-divisions of the South Tripura district. The team is expected to meet officials of the Department and the minister tomorrow.