NEW DELHI: On the eve of World Malaria Day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged nations affected by the disease globally to accelerate the reach of high-impact tools and strategies to prevent, detect and treat malaria. The WHO focuses on reaching the most vulnerable and ensuring that no person or population is left behind.
In the shadow of the Covid-19 crisis, the world is not on track to reach the two critical targets of the WHO Global technical strategy (GTS) for malaria 2016–2030: reducing global case incidence and mortality by 90% or more by 2030, based on 2015 levels, said WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh.
In 2021, an estimated 6.19 lakh people died of malaria compared to 6.25 lakh in 2020. There were an estimated 247 million new cases of malaria, compared to 245 million in 2020. By the end of 2020, the South-East Asia Region was the only WHO region to achieve a 40% cut in malaria incidence and mortality compared to 2015.
Amid the COVID-19 response, the Maldives and Sri Lanka have maintained their malaria-free status, and five countries of the Region – Bhutan, DPR Korea, Nepal, Thailand and Timor-Leste – are among 25 countries and one territory globally identified as having the potential to eliminate malaria by 2025. In September 2023, Timor-Leste is likely to complete three consecutive years of reporting zero local malaria transmission.
