Malaria

World Malaria Day: India shows the way, but global fight far from over

Global malaria cases and deaths declined in 2023-24, with India exiting the HBHI group, yet WHO warns that funding cuts and health disruptions threaten continued progress

Malaria remains Africa's deadliest disease as US aid cuts hurt fight

Malaria season begins this month in a large part of Africa. No disease is deadlier on the continent, especially for children. But the Trump administration's decision to terminate 90 per cent of USAID's foreign aid contracts has local health officials warning of catastrophe in some of the world's poorest communities. Dr. Jimmy Opigo, who runs Uganda's malaria control programme, told The Associated Press that USAID stop-work orders issued in late January left him and others focusing on disaster preparedness. The US is the top bilateral funder of anti-malaria efforts in Africa. Anti-malarial medicines and insecticide-treated bed nets to help control the mosquito-borne disease are like our groceries, Opigo said. There's got to be continuous supply. As those dwindle with the US-terminated contracts, he expects a rise in cases later this year of severe malaria, which includes problems like organ failure. There is no cure. Vaccines being rolled out in parts of Africa are imperfect but are

Annual malaria cases at 2 mn in 2023, down 97% since 1947: Health ministry

The latest World Malaria Report 2024, released by the World Health Organization (WHO), celebrates India's significant progress

India has cut malaria cases, deaths significantly, says WHO report

India has significantly reduced its malaria incidence and mortality and exited the High Burden High Impact (HBHI) group of endemic countries officially in 2024, according to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) World Malaria Report released on Wednesday. The malaria caseload in India was slashed by 69 per cent from 6.4 million (64 lakh) in 2017 to two million (20 lakh) in 2023. Similarly, the estimated malaria deaths decreased from 11,100 to 3,500 (a 68-per cent decrease) in the same period. The WHO South-East Asia Region had eight malaria endemic countries in 2023, accounting for 40 lakh cases and contributing 1.5 per cent to the burden of malaria cases globally. In 2023, India accounted for a half of all estimated malaria cases in the region, followed by Indonesia, which accounted for just under one third. The estimated malaria deaths in the region fell by 82.9 per cent, from 35,000 in 2000 to 6,000 in 2023. India and Indonesia together accounted for about 88 per cent of malari

Interim results of malaria vaccine Phase 2b trial show 'promising efficacy'

A new malaria vaccine appears to be "safe and highly immunogenic", with "promising efficacy", according to interim results of the phase 2b clinical trial conducted in African children. The vaccine candidate, named 'RH5.1/Matrix-M', is a blood-stage type, targeting the malaria-causing parasite when it is present in the blood -- the stage of the parasite's life cycle when symptoms begin to show in the affected person. The trial results were published in "The Lancet Infectious Diseases" journal. Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites, spread to humans through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. Symptoms usually appear in the 10-15 days following the bite, with mild symptoms being fever, chills and headache, while the severe ones can include fatigue, confusion, seizures, and difficulty in breathing. Researchers, including those at Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Sant, Burkina Faso, and the University of Oxford, UK, enrolled 361 children in the African country,

Delhi sees 55% spike in malaria cases this year so far, no deaths recorded

The national capital has reported a huge jump in malaria cases this year so far, with infections jumping nearly 55 per cent compared to the corresponding period last year. The city has, however, not recorded any malaria-related deaths so far, according to official data. According to Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) data for the period from January 1 to October 5, this year marks the highest number of malaria cases in the corresponding period in last five years with 511 confirmed infections. A total of 329 cases were reported during the same period in 2023, 153 in 2022, 127 in 2021, and 189 in 2020. While there have been no deaths attributed to malaria in Delhi this year, this contrasts with previous years when one fatality was reported each in 2020, 2022, and 2023. The data also highlights that the highest caseload was recorded in September every year since 2020; this year, there were 193 cases in September, compared to 106 reported in August. In the current month, up to the

Mumbai sees uptick in malaria, H1N1 cases in July, drop in dengue

Mumbai has recorded a "slight increase" in malaria and H1N1 (flu) cases in July 2024 at 797 and 161, respectively, as compared to the same month last year, the city civic body said on Wednesday. In its report on "Monsoon-related diseases", the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said as compared to July 2023, the data for July 2024 showed a decline in cases of dengue, leptospirosis and gastroenteritis, but a slight uptick in malaria and H1N1 (flu) infections in the financial capital. Mumbai reported 797 cases of malaria and 161 of H1N1 in July 2024, up from 721 and 106, respectively, in the same month last year, according to the report. Cases of dengue, leptospirosis, gastroenteritis, hepatitis and chikungunya dropped to 535, 141, 1239, 146 and 25 in July 2024 from 685, 413, 1767, 144 and 27 in July 2023, respectively, it said. The BMC said it covered nearly 11.95 lakh households and about 55.80 lakh population during its house-to-house fever survey in July 2024 and gave ...

Covid vaccine maker BioNTech gets $145 mn funding for plant in Africa

A future African network could produce affordable vaccines to fight malaria, mpox, tuberculosis or other health threats, they added

World Malaria Day 2024: 10 signs and symptoms of Malaria one should know

World Malaria Day 2024: Malaria is one of the deadly diseases caused by the bite of female Anopheles mosquitoes. Here are the 10 signs and symptoms everyone should know

World Malaria Day 2024: History, significance, theme and more

World Malaria Day 2024: Malaria is one of the deadly diseases caused by the bites of mosquitoes. Here's all you need to know about the Malaria Day

Delhi logs over 5,000 dengue cases, more than 352 of malaria till mid-Sept

More than 5,000 cases of dengue had been reported in Delhi till mid-September this year, according to the National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control (NCVBDC). The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has not shared any recent data on vector-borne diseases in the national capital. The MCD's last weekly report on vector-borne diseases was released in the first week of August. MCD sources said on Thursday that nearly 5,000 cases of dengue have been recorded in the city so far this year. According to data on the official website of the NCVBDC, which comes under the Union health ministry, 5,221 cases of dengue and one death due to the disease had been recorded in Delhi till mid-September this year. Mayor Shelly Oberoi held a review meeting on vector-borne diseases with the Public Health Department officials of the MCD at the Civic Centre on Thursday, her office said in a statement. During the meeting, officials informed Oberoi that all necessary steps are being taken on a "war .

UN authorises 2nd malaria vaccine, experts say not enough to stop spread

The World Health Organization has authorised a second malaria vaccine, a decision that could offer countries a cheaper and more readily available option than the world's first shot against the parasitic disease. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the UN health agency was approving the new malaria vaccine based on the advice of two expert groups, recommending its use in children at risk of the disease. As a malaria researcher, I used to dream of the day we would have a safe and effective vaccine against malaria. Now we have two, Tedros said. Oxford University developed the new three-dose vaccine with help from the Serum Institute of India. Research suggests it is more than 75 per cent effective and that protection is maintained for at least another year with a booster. Tedros said the shot would cost about USD 2 to USD 4 and could be available in some countries next year if funders agree to buy it. Earlier this year, regulatory authorities in Ghana and Burkina Faso

R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine: What it is, and when will it roll out?

The R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine is an easily deployable vaccine that can be manufactured at a mass scale with a modest cost

187 dengue, 61 malaria cases reported in Delhi till July 22 this year

Nearly 190 dengue cases have been reported in the national capital this year till July 22, the highest for the period since 2018, according to a civic body report released on Monday. The report by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) also said that 61 cases of malaria have been recorded in the same period. As many as 187 cases of dengue have been reported in Delhi this year till July 22. The number of dengue cases reported in July so far stood at 65. It was 40 in June and 23 in May, according to the report. In 2022, Delhi reported 159 dengue cases between January 1 and July 15. During the same period in 2021, the city reported 47 dengue cases, 26 in 2020, 34 in 2019 and 49 in 2018. Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi has recently said that there is a possibility of a rise in dengue and malaria cases in the national capital this year due to flooding in several areas. She added that departments concerned have been directed to take steps to check mosquito breeding and clear the silt and sl

Time to deliver on promise of zero malaria: WHO on World Malaria Day

On the eve of World Malaria Day, 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 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 per cent or more by 2030, based on 2015 levels, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for South-East Asia, said. 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, Singh said. By the end of 2020, the South-East Asia Region was the only WHO region to achieve a 40 per cent reduction in malaria case incidence and mortality compared

Booster dose: Zydus likely to arm India with single-dose malaria drug

In Phase-2 trials now, pill also works against drug-resistant malaria strains

Ghana becomes first country to approve Oxford malaria vaccine for children

It is hoped that this crucial step will enable the vaccine to help Ghanaian and African children to effectively combat malaria, said Oxford University

78% of communicable disease deaths in 2021 due to respiratory ailments: NSO

Total deaths from contagious diseases rose 86% to 12,598 from 6,767 in 2019

Global tally of malaria cases, deaths remained stable in 2021, says WHO

The global number of malaria cases and deaths generally remained stable in 2021, thanks to redoubled efforts by affected countries, the WHO said

Covid-19 disruption resulted in 63,000 more malaria deaths, says WHO

The coronavirus pandemic interrupted efforts to control malaria, resulting in 63,000 additional deaths and 13 million more infections globally over two years, according to a report from the World Health Organisation published on Thursday. Cases of the parasitic disease went up in 2020 and continued to climb in 2021, though at a slower pace, the UN health agency said on Thursday. About 95 per cent of the world's 247 million malaria infections and 619,000 deaths last year were in Africa. We were off track before the pandemic and the pandemic has now made things worse, said Abdisalan Noor, a senior official in WHO's malaria department. Alister Craig, dean of biological sciences at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, noted that progress in reducing malaria deaths had stalled even before COVID-19. It is almost as if we have reached a limit of effectiveness for the tools we have now, said Lister, who was not linked to the WHO report. Noor said he expected the wider rollout of th