AGARTALA, July 3 (TIWN): Tripura Health Minister Badal Choudhury on Wednesday wrote to Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Varhan seeking central assistance for more critical malaria treatment drugs. Speaking to reporters at the civil secretariat, the minister said that a letter was written to the Union Health Minister for approving second generation anti-malaria drugs for Tripura.

Approval of a second investigation team of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Program was solicited in the letter as well. Officials at the Tripura Bhawan in New Delhi were asked to purchase more anti malaria drugs. Drug consignments arrived from Haryana, Karnataka, Orissa and Guwahati in the past few days.  The state Health Department, in the meanwhile, arranged for airdropping of medical personnel and anti malaria drugs to areas where road connectivity was absent or disrupted since the onset of monsoon.

Helicopters would be used for the purpose at Tuipuibari and Gobindabari in Dhalai district from July 04 till July 08. All District Magistrates were asked to conduct a survey of areas under their jurisdictions and submit proposals of similar airlifting wherever necessary. Proposals of airlifting at Sakhan Shermun and Manu-Chailengta were tabled from North Tripura district.  Over 1, 00,123 fever patients were detected across the state since institutional treatment started from June 10. The first malaria deaths were reported as early as May 26.

A total of 59 were killed in the malaria epidemic according to official records till July 02. Over 17 thousand patients were diagnosed to have contacted malaria till date. The Health Department has now issued caution for possible dengue, chikunguniya and Japanese Encephalitis outbreaks as well.