he
report calls out India for being the only one of the 11 countries to increase
its domestic funding between 2017-2018 to fight malaria.
NEW DELHI: Of the 11 countries with the worlds
highest malaria burdens, India was one of only two countries to reduce malaria
cases between 2017 and 2018, achieving a 28 per cent reduction in such cases,
according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report.
While India had 2.6 million fewer
malaria cases in 2018, Uganda had 1.5 million fewer cases last year, compared
to the previous year, said the report titled "World Malaria Report
2019".
This success builds on India's 24 per
cent reduction in malaria cases between 2016 and 2017 reported last year by the
WHO.
However, the
research also revealed that 19 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and India
carried almost 85 per cent of the global malaria burden.
According to the report, India's
progress means the country no longer has the world's fourth highest malaria
burden, though it still is the only non-African country among the top 11
countries with the most malaria globally.
The report also calls out India for
being the only one of the 11 countries to increase its domestic funding between
2017-2018 to fight malaria.
Additional funding increases in 2019 by
the Central government nearly trebled its funding for the National Vector Borne
Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) over the past two years.
"While we
have come a long way, sustained focus and increased funding are crucial to
boost India's fight against malaria and ensure that India continues to lead the
world and becomes malaria-free by 2030," said Sanjeev Gaikwad, India
Country Director of nonprofit organisation Malaria No More.
In 2016, India introduced its first
National Framework for Malaria Elimination (2016-2030) and has sustained
progress toward defeating malaria since the plan's launch.
Globally, malaria afflicted 228 million
people and killed an estimated 4 lakh people last year.
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