India made “strong progress” in the fight against malaria, recording the largest reduction in cases in South-East Asia from 20 million in 2000 to about 5.6 million last year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.The World Malaria Report 2020, released Monday, said that in 2019, malaria cases globally numbered about 229 million, an annual estimate that has remained virtually unchanged over the last four years.
Last year, the disease claimed about 409,000 lives, compared to 411,000 in 2018.“Countries in South-East Asia made particularly strong progress, with reductions in cases and deaths of 73 per cent and 74 per cent, respectively. India contributed to the largest drop in cases region-wide – from approximately 20 million to about 6 million,” WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in the report’s forward.
The report said that the WHO South-East Asia Region accounted for about 3 per cent of the burden of malaria cases globally.Malaria cases reduced by 73 per cent in the region, from 23 million in 2000 to about 6.3 million in 2019.
Ensuring access to malaria prevention – such as insecticide-treated nets and preventive medicines for children – has supported the COVID-19 response strategy by reducing the number of malaria infections and, in turn, easing the strain on health systems.WHO worked swiftly to provide countries with guidance to adapt their responses and ensure the safe delivery of malaria services during the pandemic, the report said.
