Annual Malaria related death falls from 8 lakhs in 1947 to 83 in 2023

The incidence of death due to Malaria has drastically been reduced in the country from 8 lakhs per year in 1947 to 83 in 2023. The success of India’s battle with malaria has led the World Health Organisation (WHO) to remove India from the list of High Burden to High Impact groups in 2024.

The government of India has set a target to eliminate malaria from the country by 2030.

Malaria Control Programme in India 

At the time of Independence in 1947, around 22% population of the country was estimated to be suffering from malaria with 7.5 crore cases and 8 lakh deaths per year.

The government of India launched the National Malaria Control Programme in 1953 to control the incidence of malaria and death due to the disease.

In 2002 the government merged the Malaria Control Program with other Vector Borne Diseases namely Kala-azar, Dengue, Lymphatic Filariasis, Japanese Encephalitis, and Chikungunya into the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme. 

The government formulated a comprehensive and multi-pronged strategy to combat Malaria by launching the National Framework for Malaria Elimination in 2016.

Objectives of National Framework for Malaria Elimination

The National Framework for Malaria Elimination  objectives were as follows:

• Eliminate malaria transmission by 2022 in 26 low (Category 1) and moderate (Category 2) states/Union Territories (UTs). • 
• By 2024, reduce the incidence of malaria to less than 1 case per 1000 population per year in all the  districts of the country; •
• Interrupt Indigenous transmission of malaria throughout the entire country  by 2027; and 
• Prevent the re-emergence of local transmission of malaria in areas where it has been eliminated and maintain national malaria-free status by 2030.

Status of Malaria in India as of 2023

• Union Territories of Ladakh, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry are in Category 0. It means no malaria cases were reported from these UTs in 2023.
• No malaria cases in 122 districts of the country.
• In 2015 15 states were in Category 1, whereas in 2023, 24 states and Union Territories were in Category I. States/UT having Annual Parasite Incidence of less than 1 case per 1000 population are kept In Category 1.
• In 2015, 10 States and Union Territories were classified as a high burden (Category 3).

Out of the 10 States and Union Territories in 2023;

• Mizoram and Tripura remain in Category 3,
• Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Meghalaya have moved to Category 2
• Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, the Union Territories of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli have moved to Category 1.

Malaria its Cause and Prevalence 

Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites which are carried by vector female Anopheles mosquitoes.

The disease is caused by the bite of the female Anopheles mosquitoes.

According to the WHO, five species of Plasmodium can cause malaria in humans but 2 of these species – Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax – pose the greatest threat.

The incidence of Malaria are primarily found in tropical and subtropical countries. 

The major malaria hotspot regions in the world are Africa, Southeast Asia, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Western Pacific.

In 2023, the maximum malaria-related death in the world has been reported from the Sub-African countries of Nigeria (30.9% of all death in the world), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (11.3%), Niger (5.9%), and the United Republic of Tanzania (4.3%).