World Malaria Day recognized by WHO on April 25 (previously African Malaria Day) to highlight investment and innovation.
- It was established by WHO Member States during the 2007 World Health Assembly.
- Theme for 2025: “Malaria Ends With Us: Reinvest, Reimagine, Reignite”
About Malaria Disease

- Type of disease: Malaria is an infectious disease transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes and caused by plasmodium protozoa.
- Prevalence: It poses a life-threatening risk, primarily affecting tropical and subtropical regions in Africa, South America, and Asia.
- Cause: This disease is caused by plasmodium parasites, which spread through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
- These parasites multiply initially in liver cells and then attack Red
- Transmission: Not contagious; Cannot spread from one person to another
- Man does not develop immunity to malaria during natural infection.
- Yaounde Declaration
- Species and Threat: Five parasite species cause malaria in humans, with Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax posing the most significant threat.
Indian Initiatives to Control Malaria
National Framework for Malaria Elimination (2016-2030)
- Target: The Government of India set a target to eliminate malaria in India by 2027.
- National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination for 5 years.
- Launched in 2017, It shifted focus from Malaria control to elimination.
- It provided a roadmap to end malaria in 571 districts out of India’s 678 districts by 2022.
- Malaria Elimination Research Alliance-India (MERA-India)
- Established by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
- It is a conglomeration of partners working on malaria control
- India Achievement: India has achieved a reduction of over 83% in malaria morbidity and 92% in malaria mortality between the years 2000 and 2020.
Global Initiative:
- WHO Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030, updated in 2021, provides a technical framework for all malaria-endemic countries.
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About Yaounde Declaration On Malaria Eradication
- It is a pledge to accelerate efforts to reduce malaria deaths and achieve a world where no one dies from malaria.
- Signed by health ministers from 11 African countries in March 2024
- Pledge: To sustainably and equitably address the threat of malaria in the African region, which accounts for 95% of malaria deaths globally.
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Current Status
- Global burden:
- ~263 million affected annually (WHO World Malaria Report 2024).
- 600,000 deaths yearly; 94-95% in Africa.
- However, the mortality rate has decreased since the COVID-19 peak in 2020, which caused significant disruptions.
- India’s Performance: India successfully exited the “High Burden to High Impact” (HBHI) initiative in 2024.
- Between 2017 and 2023, malaria cases in India dropped by 69% (from 6.4 million to 2 million), and deaths fell by 68% (from 11,100 to 3,500).
- Advancements:
- Drugs: Quinine → Chloroquine → Artemisinin.
- Prevention: Insecticide-treated nets, indoor spraying, now vaccines (RTS,S and R21/Matrix-M vaccine).
- Modern Challenges:
- Climate change, deforestation, stagnant waters increasing mosquito habitats.
- Malaria control now integrated into environmental impact assessments.
Additional Readings: World Malaria Report 2024
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