India can be malaria free by 2030: Global advisory group

A global advisory group on malaria today said India has the highest malaria burden in the Asia Pacific region but claimed vigorous action and renewed efforts in all states can make India reach the historic goal of malaria-freedom by 2030.
"India's recent success in eliminating polio shows what can be done when political commitment is strong. With vigorous action in the low-burden states and renewed efforts in all states, India can reach the historic goal of malaria-freedom by 2030," said Sir Richard Feachem who directs the Global Health Group - The Malaria Elimination Group - at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

It said under-reporting of confirmed malaria cases in India makes it "challenging" to accurately estimate its true burden and asserted that actual number of cases could be between 9-50 times higher than what has been reported by the government's vector programme.
The group is meeting this week in Chennai to discuss strategies to shrink the global malaria map and take stock of India's efforts to eliminate the disease. Senior officials of the government, WHO, Ministries of Health of malaria-endemic countries in Asia and Africa and others will take part in it.
The group said that strong political and programmatic leadership, along with increased financial commitment and strengthened regional collaboration, are crucial to eliminating malaria in India by 2030.

With the support of many partners, India has experienced a remarkable decline in malaria cases, Feachem said. According to WHO, the country has nearly halved the number of reported malaria cases between 2000 and 2014, from 2 million to 1.1 million.

"However, under-reporting of confirmed cases makes it challenging to accurately estimate true burden and populations at risk. Multiple independent reports suggest that actual malaria cases could be between nine and 50 times greater than those reported by India's National Vector Borne Disease Program (NVBDCP), and malaria-related deaths could be 13 times higher," it said.
Noting that some states and union territories (UTs) are clearly on the path to elimination while others are not, the group said that 15 low- and 11 moderate-burden states/UTs are targeting elimination by 2022.

The group said that in 2014, five out of 36 states/UTs contributed to more than 70 per cent of the total malaria cases in the country - Odisha (36 per cent, Chhattisgarh (12 per cent), Jharkhand (9 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (9 per cent) and Maharashtra (5 per cent) while two states that have demonstrated success in malaria control are Punjab and Tamil Nadu.