CB Bureau
below the age of 15 years, die because of malaria. The claim is made by a
study published in reputed medical journal The
Lancet.
The researchers have provided a range with a lower estimate at 125,000
and an upper estimate at 277,000 of the
death count. The figures contradict the findings of the World Health Organization
(WHO) that had put the number of deaths due to malaria in India at 15,000.
‘The WHO estimates of malaria deaths in India are likely to
be serious underestimates. It should be reconsidered as it could substantially
change the disease-control strategies,’ the journal says.
The WHO retorted saying it has ‘serious doubts’ on the
estimate and methods used to derive it, and the findings could not be accepted
without further validation.
The Lancet report
says that 90 per cent of the deaths were recorded in rural areas, of which 86
per cent occurred at home without any medical attention. If detected in time,
most of these deaths – occurring mainly in Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand,
Assam and other eastern pockets – can be averted.
The study, which began in 2002, covered 6,671 areas, each
with about 200 households.
The research, led by teams from the office of the Registrar
General of India, Centre for Global Health Research at St Michael’s Hospital,
and University of Toronto, Canada, found that Orissa reported the highest
number of deaths (50,000).