Worldwide and in India, malaria elimination efforts are being ramped up to eradicate the disease by 2030. Malaria elimination efforts in North-East (NE) India will have a great bearing on the overall efforts to eradicate malaria in the rest of India. The first cases of chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine resistance were reported in NE India, and the source of these drug resistant parasites are most likely from South East Asia (SEA). NE India is the only land route through which the parasites from SEA can enter the Indian mainland. India’s malaria drug policy had to be constantly updated due to the emergence of drug resistant parasites in NE India. Malaria is highly endemic in many parts of NE India, and Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for the majority of the cases. Highly efficient primary vectors and emerging secondary vectors complicate malaria elimination efforts in NE India. Many of the high transmission zones in NE India are tribal belts, and are difficult to access. The review details the malaria epidemiology in seven NE Indian states from 2008 to 2018. In addition, the origin and evolution of resistance to major anti-malarials are discussed. Furthermore, the bionomics of primary vectors and emergence of secondary malaria vectors, and possible strategies to prevent and control malaria in NE are outlined.

Conservation agriculture (CA) does have several advantages over conventional tillage (CT)-based agriculture in terms of soil health parameters. However, weeds are the major biotic constraint in CA, posing as a great challenge towards its adoption. The presence of weed seeds on the upper soil surface, due to no tillage operation, leads to higher weed infestation in CA, and so far, herbicides are the only answer to deal with this problem. Overreliance of herbicide use showed its consequence in terms of environmental pollution, weed shift and herbicide resistance development in weeds. Growing herbicide-tolerant crops using nonselective herbicides could be a broad-spectrum weed management technique to tackle weed shift, but the same is being resulted in the evolution of more problematic 'super weed'. These observations indicate the need of integrated weed management technologies involving the time tested cultural practices, viz. competitive crop cultivars, mulches, cover crops, intercrops with allelopathic potential, crop diversification, planting geometry, efficient nutrient, water management, etc., along with limited and site-specific herbicide application. The modern seeding equipment, e.g. 'Happy Seeder' technology, that helps in managing weeds through retention of crop residues as mulches, besides providing efficient seeding and fertilizer placement, shows the promise of becoming an integral part of CA system.

Mosquito-borne diseases, including malaria, Japanese encephalitis (JE), lymphatic filariasis and dengue, are major public health concerns in the north-eastern state of Assam, deterring equitable socioeconomic and industrial development. Among these, malaria and JE are the predominant infections and are spread across the state. The incidence of malaria is, however, gradually receding, with a consistent decline in cases over the past few years, although entry and spread of artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum remains a real threat in the country. JE, formerly endemic in upper Assam, is currently spreading fast across the state, with confirmed cases and a high case-fatality rate affecting all ages. Lymphatic filariasisis is prevalent but its distribution is confined to a few districts and disease transmission is steadily declining. Dengue has recently invaded the state, with a large concentration of cases in Guwahati city that are spreading to suburban areas. Control of these diseases requires robust disease surveillance and integrated vector management on a sustained basis, ensuring universal coverage of evidence-based key interventions based on sound epidemiological data. This paper aims to present a comprehensive review of the status of vector-borne diseases in Assam and to address the key challenges.

The Olyset nets were safe to use, wash resistant, and assessed to be operationally feasible, community-based intervention for sustainable management of disease vectors against malaria. Community compliance and acceptance was high, and users reported decreased nuisance due to biting mosquitoes.

It is important for malaria-endemic countries to address malaria control across international borders, and in particular to prioritize appropriate rapid diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance. Bhutan and India aim to achieve malaria elimination by 2023 and 2030, respectively. Malaria elimination along the Indo–Bhutan border is of common concern. We delineated malaria epidemiology along the border to provide a blueprint for focusing malaria control efforts in key foci within this region. Epidemiological data from 2015 to 2019 were analyzed, as the most drastic reductions in malaria burden across most parts of India were witnessed in this time frame. Several areas of concern include low surveillance in most border districts, favorable climatic conditions for perennial malaria transmission, and movement of potential parasite carriers because of the porous borders. India and Bhutan need to control the importation/exportation of malaria cases. We highlight the key foci of concern for which implementing tailor-made malaria control strategies may benefit both countries.