Malaria and underdevelopment are closely intertwined. Over 40% of the North Bengal population lives where there is a risk of malaria. The disease causes widespread premature death and suffering, imposes financial hardship on poor households and holds back economic growth and improvements in living standards.

In order to dramatically reduce the burden of malaria in North Bengal, prompt and effective treatment must be complemented by the prevention of new infections and SHIS has been doing that since almost 6 years. It has been found that in most parts of North Bengal, specially Jalpaiguri, Koochbehar and some parts of Darjeeling, temperature and rainfall are sufficient to allow a stable, year round (perennial) malaria transmission at high levels with relatively little seasonal variability.

The primary emphasis of the SHIS malaria control programme was to reach every corner of the inaccessible outreach areas and thereby address a number of aspects in the effectiveness of malaria control in the highest risk zone of Jalpaiguri District.

SHIS fight against malaria is part of the overall effort of the SHIS Basic Health Care Programme to improve health in the outreach and inaccessible areas. It was acknowledged that further inroads into controlling malaria could only be achieved with vector control and early effective treatment. The SHIS malaria control programme was targeted at creating a platform for development, the beneficiaries being communities in areas with the lowest socio-economic development (forest region of dooars and terrai). The effort is multi-sectoral approach, while progress has been made in the fight against malaria through increased public knowledge about malaria, prompt diagnosis and treatment but due to shortage of financial resources the fight against malaria is presenting new challenges to SHIS malaria control programme.