Health Minister JP Nadda reviews monsoon plan for vector-borne diseases | Today’s news
Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda on Thursday chaired a high-level review meeting to assess national preparedness against dengue fever, malaria and other vector-borne diseases during the monsoon season, the government said.
Nadda emphasized the need for early planning, increased vigilance and a proactive public health response to effectively manage and minimize disease burden during high transmission months.
During the meeting, Nadda reviewed the current epidemiological situation across the country and directed all states and union territories to significantly strengthen their localized surveillance systems for early detection of potential outbreaks.
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To handle any sudden increase in patient load, the Health Minister instructed health facilities to ensure continuity of care by ensuring adequate supplies of essential drugs, modern diagnostic kits, blood components, hospital beds and trained medical staff fully informed of the latest standard clinical management guidelines.
In particular, the National Center for Vector-Borne Disease Control, administered by the central program formerly known as the National Vector-Borne Disease Control Program, focuses nationally on a total of six vector-borne diseases: malaria, dengue, chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis, kala-azar, and lymphatic filariasis.
Officials at the review meeting were urged to develop district-specific strategies and micro-plans, particularly mapping high-risk outbreaks of the six diseases, to deploy targeted public health interventions such as anti-larval measures and regular fogging.
The review highlighted India’s progress in the fight against malaria over the past decade, which fell by almost 80% between 2015 and 2025. According to the Ministry of Health, India has successfully left the World Health Organization’s “High Burden to High Impact” group by 2024, maintaining a more than 70% reduction in both incidence and mortality globally, keeping the target.
In addition, a total of 160 counties reported no indigenous cases during the period 2022–2025, reflecting a sustained interruption of local transmission.
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Nadda emphasized that resource reduction, such as treating stagnant water and maintaining a clean environment, cannot succeed without active community participation. Local bodies have been advised to work closely with Resident Welfare Associations, Panchayati Raj Institutions and Educational Institutions to promote preventive actions.
According to official surveillance data from the National Center for Vector-Borne Disease Control, the country will see 255,500 cases of malaria in 2024. These were mostly concentrated in the hard-hit states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal, which alone accounted for the major share of the total number of cases in the country.
In 2025, malaria numbers have declined slightly, but other mosquito-borne diseases have skyrocketed. By the end of 2025, health workers have recorded 91,015 dengue cases and 34,876 chikungunya cases across the country. In the current 2026 season, India has so far reported around 5,000 dengue cases, which require close monitoring.
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