New Delhi: In a welcome development, estimated cases of malaria in India dropped by 17.7 million from 2000 to 2023.
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) World Malaria Report 2024 revealed that in 2023, the South-East Asia Region reported eight malaria-endemic countries accounting for 4 million cases, making up 1.5% of the global malaria burden, with India contributing half of the region’s cases, followed by Indonesia with nearly one-third.
India recorded a significant decline in malaria cases and deaths, which largely contributed to the overall decline in WHO South-East Asia Region.
Malaria cases fell by 93%, from 20 to 1.5 cases per 1,000 people at risk.
As for mortality rates, India saw reduction by over 63%. However, India still it accounted for approximately 88% of all malaria deaths in the region.
Even as India is striving to rid itself from the disease caused by plasmodium parasite through mosquito bites, Sri Lanka was certified malaria-free in 2016.
Globally, 29 out of 83 malaria-endemic countries in in 2023 accounted for 95% of malaria cases and 96% of malaria deaths.
African countries Nigeria (25.9%), the Democratic Republic of Congo (12.6%), Uganda (4.8%), Ethiopia (3.6%) and Mozambique (3.5%) made up more than half of all malaria cases worldwide, while four countries — Nigeria (30.9%), Democratic Republic of Congo (11.3%), Niger (5.9%), and Tanzania (4.3%) — accounted for over than half of all malaria deaths globally.
