Aizawl, 21 March (Zoram News): A research study published in Nature Portfolio highlights the critical need for malaria control in Mizoram, a region that shares international borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar. The study titled "Malaria hotspots and climate change trends in the hyper-endemic malaria settings of Mizoram along the India–Bangladesh borders" reveals that between 2015-21, the districts of Lawngtlai, Mamit, and Lunglei reported the highest number of malaria cases in Mizoram, with these districts sharing borders with Bangladesh.
Mizoram, located in North Eastern India, shares its western borders with the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh and its eastern and southern borders with the Chin Hills of Myanmar. The research notes that the monsoon season in Mizoram, from June to September, is when cases of malaria peak. Mizoram is also considered a major route for the entry of drug-resistant parasites from Southeast Asia to Northeast India.
India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar have committed to eliminating malaria by 2030. However, the porous borders shared by Mizoram with these two countries could allow the movement of parasites and vectors, thereby jeopardizing the malaria elimination efforts of all three countries.