India records 24% reduction in malaria cases in 2017 as compared to 2016: WHO's World Malaria report
India records 24% reduction in malaria cases in 2017 as compared to 2016: WHO's World Malaria report
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The most recent World Health Organisation (WHO) World Malaria Report has suggested that reductions in malaria cases have stalled after several years of decline worldwide, even though a number of countries, including India have shown progress.

In 2017, approximately 70% of all malaria cases (151 million) and deaths (274 000) were determined in 11 countries: 10 in Africa (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda and United Republic of Tanzania) and India. There were 3.5 million more malaria cases reported in these 10 African nations in 2017 compared to the previous year, while India, however, showed progress in drop its disease burden.

 

For the second consecutive year, the yearly report produced by WHO  exposes a plateauing in numbers of people affected by malaria:
In 2017, there were an estimated 219 million cases of malaria, compared to 217 million the year prior to. But in the years earlier, the number of people contracting malaria worldwide had been progressively falling, from 239 million in 2010 to 214 million in 2015.

 

“Nobody should die from malaria. But the world faces a new reality: as progress stagnates, we are at risk of squandering years of toil, investment and success in reducing the number of people suffering from the disease,” says Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

“We recognise we have to do something different – now. So today we are launching a country-focused and -led plan to take comprehensive action against malaria by making our work more effective where it counts most – at local level.”

 

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