Global efforts to tackle malaria suffered due to the COVID-19 in 2020, according to the recently released World Malaria Report 2021.
Context
Global efforts to tackle malaria suffered due to the COVID-19 in 2020, according to the recently released World Malaria Report 2021.
World Malaria Report
- The World Health Organization releases the World Malaria Report every year.
- It provides a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of trends in malaria control and elimination across the globe.
- It tracks investments in malaria programmes and research as well as progress across all intervention areas: prevention, diagnosis, treatment, elimination and surveillance.
- The 2021 report is based on information received from malaria-endemic countries in all WHO regions.
|
The theme for this year is “Zero Malaria – Draw the Line Against Malaria” because every malaria case is preventable, and every malaria death is unacceptable.
|
Key-findings of the report
- Key findings of the 2021 edition are:
- There were an estimated 241 million malaria cases and 627000 malaria deaths worldwide in 2020.
- This represents about 14 million more cases in 2020 compared to 2019, and 69000 more deaths.
- Approximately two-thirds of these additional deaths (47000) were linked to disruptions in the provision of malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment during the pandemic.
- Most of the increase came from countries in the WHO African Region.
- 6 countries — Nigeria (27 per cent); the Democratic Republic of the Congo (12 per cent); Uganda (5%); Mozambique (4%); Angola (3.4%) and Burkina Faso (3.4%) — accounted for about 55 per cent of all cases globally.
- Sub-Saharan Africa continues to carry the heaviest malaria burden, accounting for about 95% of all malaria cases and 96% of all deaths in 2020. About 80% of deaths in the region are among children under 5 years of age.
- India accounted for 83 per cent of cases in the WHO South-East Asia Region.
- Sri Lanka was certified malaria-free in 2016 and remains malaria-free.
- China and El Salvador were certified by WHO as malaria-free in 2021, and the Islamic Republic of Iran attained 3 consecutive years of zero indigenous cases in 2020.
About the disease
- Malaria is an acute febrile illness caused by Plasmodium parasites, which are spread to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
- There are 5 parasite species that cause malaria in humans, and 2 of these species – P. falciparum and P. vivax – pose the greatest threat. P. falciparum is the deadliest malaria parasite and the most prevalent on the African continent.
- P. vivax is the dominant malaria parasite in most countries outside of sub-Saharan Africa
|
