India witnessed an 85.1-per cent decline in malaria cases and an 83.36-per cent decline in deaths caused by the disease from 2015 to 2022, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Monday.
The mosquito burne disease is not just a public health issue but also a social, economic and political challenge that requires the cooperation of all the stakeholders, Mandaviya said while virtually addressing the Asia Pacific Leaders’ Conclave on Elimination in the presence of Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha, Mizoram’s Health Minister Dr R Lalthamgliana, NITI Aayog Member (Health) Dr V K Paul and Dr Poonam Khetrepal, Regional Director, WHO-SEARO.
“India was the only high-burden, high-impact country in the South-East Asia region to report a decline in cases in 2020 as compared to 2019.
“India witnessed an 85.1-per cent decline in malaria cases and an 83.36-per cent decline in deaths during 2015-2022,” Mandaviya said.
Lauding the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said the prime minister was among the global leaders who endorsed the malaria elimination roadmap of the Asia-Pacific Leaders Alliance at the East Asia Summit in 2015, which galvanised the region in striving to become malaria-free by 2030.
