Bangalore: Travelers to India this summer better be prepared against malaria. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned international travelers against the active threat of malaria in India, reports TOI. In its latest 'International Travel and Health Bulletin 2012', the WHO said that malaria risk is prevalent throughout the year in the whole country at altitudes below 2,000m.
The bulletin has alerted travelers against malaria infections, especially while travelling to the northeast, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Gujarat, 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).
As per the global health watchdog, 40 to 50 percent 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 has cautioned against anti-malarial drug resistance cases being reported in India.
However, the advisory adds that there is no danger of malaria transmission in parts of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim.
