NEW DELHI: Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya has said that India is making a rapid progress towards eliminating malaria by 2030. In his virtual address to the Asia Pacific Malaria Leaders Conclave 2023 in New Delhi on April 24, he highlighted how India has emerged as a global example for its malaria-elimination strategies.
The Minister said that keeping in line with India’s G20 Presidency mantra of One Earth, One Family, One Future’, India is committed to sharing its resources, knowledge and learnings with other countries as well in their mission to eliminate malaria.
Dr Mandaviya said the malaria elimination programme in India has several components including early diagnosis, complete treatment, surveillance and behaviour change communication.
Meanwhile, the WHO has urged the countries affected by the disease globally to accelerate the reach of high-impact tools and strategies to prevent, detect and treat malaria, with a focus on reaching the most vulnerable, ensuring that no person is left behind.
In 2021, an estimated 619,000 people globally died of malaria compared to 625,000 in 2020. There were an estimated 247 million new cases of malaria, compared to 245 million in 2020, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for South-East Asia, said.
