Keeping in mind the central government's goal of eliminating malaria from India by 2030, the country needs to ensure 'zero' malaria cases by 2027, Pratik Kumar, Country Director at Malaria No More suggested at a conference in New Delhi on Tuesday. He said, "We have a window of next four-to-five years to control malaria cases. If we do this, we can achieve the target of eliminating the disease by 2030."
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 50 per cent of the world's population is at a risk of vector-borne diseases. Further, the WHO's World Malaria Report mentions that there were 247 million cases in 2021. In India, the disease threatens nearly 1.26 billion people, causing an estimated economic burden of $1.9 billion.
The experts emphasised that capturing data, real-time reporting, not missing out on information and involvement of the private sector for real-time reporting in vector-borne disease areas are important, as they will help in lessening the overall administrative burden.
Dr Pranab Jyoti Bhuyan, Joint Director, National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control said, "Real-time reporting in case of vector-borne diseases is important. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is also working in this direction. In addition, we also need to understand that it is not only the government's responsibility to work on fighting a disease. Every stakeholder has the responsibility to work towards it."
Although malaria has reduced by almost 95 per cent in India in the last four-to-five years, the country is still facing challenges like lack of budget and resources that make it difficult to fight vector-borne diseases.
"We need better budgets, better resources, and government's as well as private sector's participation to eliminate vector-borne diseases, particularly malaria (by 2030). We need a different strategy that goes beyond prevention and ensures elimination. New-age tools and technologies will play a vital role in this regard. We must develop new solutions and high-end technology to accelerate access and timely last-mile intervention. Enabling lower-income groups with low-cost solutions in high-endemic zones should be a key focus," Kumar stressed.
One of the panellists, Sudghir Sitapati, MD and CEO, Godrej Consumer Products said 66 per cent households use liquidified vaporizers and aerosol-comprised products to get rid of mosquitoes which harms their lungs and respiratory system. Besides, more than 100 million people struggle with the affordability of such products.
"Innovation of practical and cost-efficient solutions that guarantee everyone's protection, are urgently needed," said Dr Rahul sharma, Additional Director – Pulmonology and Critical Care, Fortis Hospital.