World Malaria Report 2024:
Malaria cases in India dropped 69%, from 6.4 million in 2017 to 2 million in 2023. Deaths fell by 68%, from 11,100 to 3,500, according to the World Malaria Report 2024.
- World Malaria Report 2024 is an annual report released by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
- It serves as a vital tool to assess global progress and gaps in the fight against malaria.
Highlights of the 2024 Report:
- Globally, the report noted an estimated 263 million malaria cases and 597,000 deaths in 2023, representing an increase of 11 million cases compared to 2022, with deaths remaining nearly the same.
- Africa continues to bear the brunt of the disease, accounting for 94 percent of global cases and 95 percent of malaria deaths in 2023, with children under 5 accounting for 76% of mortality.
- Four countries — Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger and Tanzania — contributed over half of the region’s deaths.
- In India, the report highlighted that the country officially exited the High Burden to High Impact (HBHI) group in 2024 due to significant reductions in malaria incidence and mortality in high-endemic states.
- The number of estimated malaria cases in India decreased from 6.4 million in 2017 to 2 million in 2023, marking a 69% drop.
- Similarly, malaria deaths fell from 11,100 to 3,500 over the same period, a 68% reduction.
- Despite these advances, India accounted for half of all malaria cases in the WHO South-East Asia Region in 2023, which saw a reduction of 82.4% in cases, from 22.8 million in 2000 to 4 million in 2023.
- The region, home to a quarter of the world’s population, represented 5% of global malaria cases in 2023.
