Malaria cases, deaths in India decline by 69pc between 2017-2023: WHO

India has seen significant progress in reducing malaria incidence and mortality rates, according to the latest World Malaria report, from the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday.

Malaria is a life-threatening disease spread to humans by female Anopheles mosquitoes. It is preventable and curable.

The report showed that the number of estimated malaria cases in India decreased to 2 million cases in 2023 from 6.4 million in 2017 (69 per cent decrease).

Similarly, the estimated malaria deaths decreased to 3,500 from 11,100 (68 per cent decrease) during the same period.

As a result, “India exited the High Burden to High Impact (HBHI) group officially in 2024”, the WHO said.

The HBHI approach is a targeted malaria response that is used in several countries to accelerate the pace of malaria elimination in countries with high malaria burden. India joined the HBHI initiative in July 2019.

The HBHI initiative was launched in four states in India: Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal.

Further, the report showed that in 2023, India accounted for half of all estimated malaria cases in the WHO South-East Asia Region, followed by Indonesia, which accounted for just under one-third.

The Region had eight malaria endemic countries in 2023 -- accounting for 4 million cases and contributing 1.5 per cent of the burden of malaria cases globally.

Just over 48 per cent of all estimated cases in the region were due to P. vivax.

However, from 2000 to 2023, malaria cases reduced by 82.4 per cent, from 22.8 million in 2000, and incidence reduced by 87.0 per cent, from 17.7 to 2.3 per 1000 population at risk, the report said

“The decrease can mainly be accounted for by a decrease in India of 17.7 million estimated cases and a decrease in incidence by 93 per cent, from 20 to 1.5 per 1000 population at risk,” the WHO reported.

At the same time, India and Indonesia accounted for about 88 per cent of all estimated malaria deaths in this region in 2023.

Notably, Bhutan and Timor-Leste, from the Region, reported zero malaria deaths since 2013 and 2015, respectively, while Sri Lanka was certified malaria-free in 2016.

“The progress follows the highest ever political commitment by Member countries, matched by tangible actions and unstinted efforts over the years down to the sub-national level,” said Saima Wazed, Regional Director WHO South-East Asia.

“However, accelerated efforts against malaria must continue, to eliminate the disease in countries where malaria persists, and to sustain the progress in countries where the disease is on the decline or has been eliminated,” she added.

Globally, the WHO data reveals that an estimated 2.2 billion cases of malaria and 12.7 million deaths have been averted since 2000, but the disease remains a serious global health threat, particularly in the WHO African Region.

In 2023, there were an estimated 263 million cases and 597,000 malaria deaths worldwide -- representing about 11 million more cases in 2023 compared to 2022, and nearly the same number of deaths.

“An expanded package of lifesaving tools now offers better protection against the disease, but stepped-up investments and action in high-burden countries are needed to curb the threat,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.