The World Health Organization (WHO) has alerted international travelers against the active threat of malaria in India. In its latest ‘International Travel and Health Bulletin 2012’, the WHO has said that malaria risk exists throughout the year in the whole country at altitudes below 2,000m.
The bulletin cautions travelers against malaria infections, especially while travelling to the northeast, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka (with the exception of Bangalore), Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra (with the exception of Mumbai, Nagpur, Nasik and Pune), Odisha and West Bengal (with the exception of Kolkata).
According to the global health watchdog, 40%-50% cases of malaria in India are caused by the deadly P Falciparum, with an estimated 18,000 deaths in a year due to the fatal disease. The WHO bulletin also warns against anti-malarial drug resistance cases being reported in India.
The advisory, however, adds that there is no danger of malaria transmission in parts of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Sikkim.
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