Taking The Bull By The Horns: India Reports Sharp Decline In Malaria Cases While They Rise Globally

As per the World Malaria Report 2018 published by the World Health Organisation (WHO), three million fewer malaria cases were recorded in India during the year 2017, Hindustan Times has reported. This is a 24 per cent fall compared to last year. However, the cases of malaria increased worldwide from 217 million to 219 million.

In 2017, India launched its five-year National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination that shifted focus from malaria “control” to “elimination” and provided a road-map with targets to end malaria in 571 districts out of India’s 678 districts by 2022.

Global Malaria Programme Director for WHO, Dr Pedro Alonso said, “Odisha is the driver of India’s success against malaria, where innovations, such as improving health care worker skills, expanding access to diagnostics and treatment and strengthening data collection, has led to the state recording a path-breaking decline of over 80 per cent in reported malaria cases and deaths.”

Until September this year, there has been further improvement in the state, with reported malaria cases falling from 323,800 in the period between January and September 2017, to 55,365 till September in 2018. The other countries that showed improved results were the malaria-endemic countries of China and El Salvador, which reported no local transmission in 2017.