India Achieves 69% Decline in Malaria Cases and Deaths from 2017 to 2023, Reports WHO

New Delhi, Dec 11 (NationPress) India has made significant strides in reducing malaria incidence and mortality rates, according to the latest World Malaria report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday.

Malaria is a life-threatening disease transmitted to humans through female Anopheles mosquitoes. Fortunately, it is both preventable and treatable.

The report indicated that the estimated number of malaria cases in India dropped to 2 million cases in 2023, down from 6.4 million in 2017, marking a 69 percent decrease.

In addition, the estimated malaria deaths fell to 3,500 from 11,100, reflecting a 68 percent decline over the same timeframe.

Consequently, “India officially exited the High Burden to High Impact (HBHI) group in 2024,” the WHO stated.

The HBHI strategy is a focused malaria response implemented in various countries to speed up malaria elimination efforts in regions with high malaria burdens. India became part of the HBHI initiative in July 2019.

The HBHI program was initiated in four Indian states: Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal.

Furthermore, the report revealed that in 2023, India represented half of all estimated malaria cases in the WHO South-East Asia Region, with Indonesia accounting for just under one-third.

The Region had eight malaria-endemic countries in 2023, contributing to a total of 4 million cases and representing 1.5 percent of the global malaria burden.

More than 48 percent of all estimated cases in this region were attributable to P. vivax.

From 2000 to 2023, malaria cases have been reduced by 82.4 percent, from 22.8 million in 2000, and the incidence rate has dropped by 87.0 percent, from 17.7 to 2.3 per 1,000 population at risk, as reported.

The WHO indicated that this decrease is primarily due to a reduction of 17.7 million estimated cases in India and a decline in incidence by 93 percent, from 20 to 1.5 per 1,000 population at risk.

Simultaneously, India and Indonesia accounted for approximately 88 percent of all estimated malaria deaths in this region in 2023.

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

“This progress follows the highest-ever political commitment by member countries, accompanied by concrete actions and relentless efforts over the years down to the sub-national level,” stated Saima Wazed, Regional Director of WHO South-East Asia.

“However, we must continue to accelerate efforts against malaria to eliminate the disease in countries where it persists and maintain the progress in nations where the disease is declining or has been eradicated,” she added.

Globally, WHO data indicates that since 2000, an estimated 2.2 billion cases of malaria and 12.7 million deaths have been prevented, but the disease continues to pose 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, with nearly the same number of deaths.

“An expanded package of lifesaving tools now provides better protection against the disease, but increased investments and actions in high-burden countries are essential to mitigate the threat,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.