- According to the report by WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group on Malaria Eradication (SAGme), the world is not on track to meet the target of eliminating malaria.
- The report also noted that currently, less than one per cent of the global funds for health R&D investment are allocated to develop tools to fight malaria
- The world needed an estimated $4.4 billion in 2017 and needs $6.6 billion by 2020. However, in 2017, global funding for malaria control and elimination fell short by $1.3 billion
- In 2015, the World Health Assembly approved a Global Technical Strategy for Malaria to eliminate malaria by 2030. The strategy targeted 2020 to eliminate malaria in at least 10 countries.
- In 2016, WHO launched E-2020 initiative to scale up efforts eliminate malaria by 2020. The 21 countries were identified by WHO in 2016 as having the potential to become malaria-free by 2020. India is not among the 21 countries under E-2020 initiative.
- Four countries from Asia — China, Iran, Malaysia and Timor-Leste — and El Salvador from South America reported no indigenous cases of malaria in 2018. Algeria and Argentina were declared as malaria-free in May 2019. The countries were part of E-2020 initiative.
- Malaria is disease caused by Plasmodium parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
- According to the World Malaria Report 2018, more than 200 million people were affected by malaria in 2017. India (4%) along with Nigeria Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, and Uganda accounted for nearly 50% of all malaria cases worldwide.
