World Malaria Day is observed annually on April 25th. The World Health Organization (WHO) established this in 2007 to create awareness about malaria. The theme for World Malaria Day 2023 is “Time to deliver zero malaria: invest, innovate, implement.”
Malaria: Overview and Symptoms
Malaria is a severe disease, the culprit being the Plasmodium parasite. Humans contract this parasite through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. Malaria commonly occurs in the tropical and subtropical regions globally, such as sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America.
There are many malaria species, but Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax are the most noteworthy. Although the former causes more deaths, the latter has a broader spread. Once the parasites enter the human body, they multiply in the liver and infect red blood cells. This results in symptoms like fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and fatigue. Severe cases can lead to organ failure, coma, and death.
Vaccines for Malaria
To date, no malaria vaccine has met the efficacy benchmark of 75% set by WHO. However, owing to the urgent need for malaria control and prevention, WHO approved the first malaria vaccine named RTS,S. This vaccine, developed collectively by several organizations including GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has efficacy between 30-40%.
Bharat Biotech in India has received the license to manufacture this vaccine. Simultaneously, the Oxford University developed R21, another vaccine still awaiting WHO’s approval. Ghana and Nigeria have approved this vaccine, which is also manufactured by Serum Institute of India.
Malaria Statistics
According to the World Malaria Report 2022, the disease claimed approximately 6,19,000 lives in 2021. However, the report commended India for a significant decrease in malaria cases and deaths in the past decade.
Efforts to Contain Malaria
The WHO launched the Global Malaria Program to coordinate global efforts to control and eliminate malaria. The program aims to reduce malaria case incidence and mortality rates by specified percentages within set timelines using the “Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030”.
Another initiative is the Malaria Elimination Initiative launched by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It focuses on eliminating malaria in specific regions of the world using various strategies. In 2021, WHO launched the E-2025 initiative targeting to stop malaria transmission in 25 identified countries by 2025.
India’s Attempts at Malaria Control
India’s National Vector-Borne Disease Control Programme focuses on the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases including malaria. The National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), launched in 1953, incorporates three primary activities: Insecticidal residual spray (IRS) with DDT, monitoring and surveillance of cases, and treatment of patients.
The National Framework for Malaria Elimination 2016-2030, based on WHO Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016–2030 (GTS), has twin goals: completely eradicate malaria (zero indigenous cases) throughout India by 2030, and maintain malaria-free status in areas where malaria transmission has been interrupted.
The High Burden to High Impact (HBHI) Initiative commenced in four states (West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh) in July 2019. The distribution of Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) to high burden areas reduced endemicity in these four states.
Finally, the Malaria Elimination Research Alliance-India (MERA-India), established by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) with partners working on malaria control, aims to eradicate malaria in India by 2027 and eliminate the disease by 2030. From 2018 to 2022, substantial progress was made when the country reduced the disease by 66%.
