The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently unveiled the World Malaria Report 2019, which gives a complete overview of global and regional trends in malaria, including diagnosis, treatment, prevention, elimination, and surveillance. The report reveals a worldwide observation of 228 million malaria cases, which indicates a decrease from 251 million cases in 2010. India and 19 sub-Saharan African nations bear approximately 85% of the global malaria burden, though India has seen the largest absolute reductions among these countries.
Global Analysis
The global incidence rate for malaria has shown a downward trend between 2010 and 2018, diminishing from 71 to 57 cases per 1000 population. In terms of mortality, the number of deaths due to malaria has also seen a reduction on a global scale, with 405,000 deaths reported in 2018, down from 416,000 in 2017.
National Analysis – An Indian Perspective
In India, the incidence rate showed considerable improvement with 2.6 million fewer cases reported in 2018 than in 2017. This data affirms the reduced incidence of malaria in the country. However, seven of its states — Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Gujarat, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh — are accounted for nearly 90% of the country’s malaria cases. On a positive note, the national death toll due to malaria has shown a decline.
| Year | Incidence | Death Toll |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Higher | Higher |
| 2018 | Lower | Lower |
Efforts on a Global Scale
The WHO’s Global Technical Strategy for Malaria, 2016-2030, is one of the key steps taken at a global level to combat this disease. Additionally, WHO developed a new country-driven approach, called “High burden to high impact,” to strengthen the response to malaria in those countries where cases increased in 2018 compared to 2017.
India’s Government Initiatives
India has undertaken various measures to tackle malaria. The National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination (NSPME) (2017-22) provides annual elimination targets for different regions of the country based on the endemicity of malaria over the next five years. This plan is in accordance with the National Framework for Malaria Elimination 2016, which aligns with WHO’s Global Technical Strategy for Malaria, 2016-2030.
Furthermore, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has launched the ‘Malaria Elimination Research Alliance-India (MERA-India)’, which constitutes a consortium of partners dedicated to fighting malaria.
About Malaria
Malaria is a disease caused by Plasmodium parasites and is transmitted to humans through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, also known as “malaria vectors”. Every year, World Malaria Day is observed on April 25th. Notably, WHO officially acknowledges disease-specific global awareness days for only four diseases, including Malaria, HIV-AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Hepatitis.