World Malaria Report 2023

02.12.2023

World Malaria Report 2023 , Daily Current Affairs , RACE IAS : Best IAS Coaching in Lucknow 

Why in news:

According to the World Malaria Report 2023, malaria cases continue to decline in India while they are increasing globally.                  

Important points:

• India contributed 1.4 percent of global malaria cases and only 0.9 percent of deaths.

About the World Malaria Report 2023:

• This report has been published by the World Health Organization (WHO).
• The report, for the first time, includes a dedicated chapter focused on the intersection between climate change and malaria.
• Objective: To provide a comprehensive and updated assessment of trends in malaria control and elimination worldwide.

Conclusion of the World Malaria Report 2023:

• Despite progress in increasing access to insecticide-treated nets and medicines to help prevent malaria in young children and pregnant women, more people are getting sick from malaria, according to a new report published by the World Health Organization (WHO).
• Globally, there were 249 million cases in 2022, 5 million more than in 2021.
• Globally, malaria deaths were higher than in 2019, but the malaria mortality rate (i.e. deaths per 100,000 population at risk) has been steadily declining and now stands at 14.3 in 2022.
• Progress has also been made toward eliminating malaria in many countries with a low burden of the disease.
• In 2022, 34 countries reported less than 1000 cases of malaria, compared to only 13 countries in 2000.
• This year alone, three more countries were certified as malaria-free by WHO – Azerbaijan, Belize and Tajikistan.

          (Picture source;the Indian express)

About India in the report:

• There were about 33 lakh malaria cases and 5,000 deaths in India last year.
• According to the World Malaria Report 2022, cases are projected to decline by 30 percent and deaths by 34 percent compared to 2021.
• Experts say this is because the country's focus is on primary health care in remote areas, data-backed monitoring and better handling of extreme weather events like cyclones.
• Threats: Climate change, conflict and humanitarian crises, resource scarcity and biological challenges such as drug and pesticide resistance also continue to hinder progress.
• Another challenge is vivax malaria, which accounts for more than 40 percent of malaria cases in India.
• Plasmodium vivax is known to hide in the liver and cause frequent infections.
• A 14-day course of therapy is required but many people do not complete the treatment and stop taking the medicine when they feel better.

Relationship between climate change and malaria:

• Changes in temperature, humidity and rainfall can affect the behavior and survival of the malaria-carrying Anopheles mosquito.
• Extreme weather events, such as heat waves and floods, can also directly influence transmission and disease burden.
  • For example, devastating floods in Pakistan in 2022 led to a 5-fold increase in malaria cases in the country.
  • Of the five million additional malaria cases recorded globally in 2022, almost half – 2.1 million – were from Pakistan
• Climate variability has also led to malnutrition, a risk factor for severe malaria in young children and pregnant women.