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Halimur Rashid, director (disease control) of DGHS, however, said they were on track to achieve the malaria elimination target.

In 2022, the national malaria elimination programme under DGHS had prepared “National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination and Prevention of Re-establishment of Malaria Transmission in Bangladesh 2024-2030”.

The strategy aimed at attaining zero mortality due to indigenous malaria by 2027 and eliminating malaria by 2030.

“Bangladesh has demonstrated significant progress in reducing the malaria caseload over the years, although fluctuations are reported in terms of upsurges in 2014, 2019 and again in 2022,” reads the executive summary of the strategy.

MA Faiz, former director general of DGHS, however, said that achieving both targets will be very challenging given the current situation.

Around 12 lakh Rohingya people are living in camps in Cox’s Bazar, many of whom travel to hilly areas outside the camps and become infected with malaria.

Many of them are not aware of the risks of malaria and often seek diagnosis late, increasing the risk of transmission in Teknaf and Ukhia.

Besides, the four districts with the highest malaria burden share borders with neighbouring countries, meaning elimination efforts will also depend on controlling the disease across the border, he told this correspondent yesterday.

Funding for malaria control has shrunk globally as well as in the country, posing another challenge.

“Besides, we presumed that our 51 districts are malaria-free, but to achieve elimination, we have to prove this scientifically with evidence,” he added.