At least 17 people died and several hundred were admitted to rural hospitals as malaria gripped tribal hamlets in remote Dhalai district in Tripura. Health Minister Badal Choudhury, who chaired a high-level meeting on Thursday to review the health situation, will visit the affected areas on Friday. Mr. Choudhury said he had information of 17 deaths in two subdivisions of Dhalai over the past few days. “Ten died in Gandacherra and 7 in Longtarai Valley, while many were admitted to hospitals,” he told newsmen. Officials said most of the fatalities are children below ten years. “Nearly, 200 people are crowded in Ganddachara hospital and we are arranging additional space to accommodate new patients,” Gandacherra subdivisional magistrate Bhaskar Dasgupta told The Hinduover phone. He said timely detection of the distressed hamlets saved many people from imminent death. The deaths in his subdivision mainly occurred in four villages. Malaria infected tribals of other places are admitted in Longtarai Valley, Manikpur, Chawmanu and Salema health centres. Two medical teams are visiting malaria prone villages and two more teams would accompany health minister to the area tomorrow.

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