Malaria
- Malaria is an acute febrile illness caused by Plasmodium parasites, which are spread to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
- It is a life-threatening disease primarily found in tropical countries.
- It is preventable and curable.
Transmission of Malaria
- Malaria is not contagious and cannot spread from one person to another; the disease is transmitted through the bites of female Anopheles mosquitoes.
- Five species of parasites can cause malaria in humans and 2 of these species – Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax – pose the greatest threat.
Symptoms
- The first symptoms of malaria usually begin within 10–15 days after the bite from an infected mosquito.
- Fever, headache and chills are typically experienced, though these symptoms may be mild and difficult to recognize as malaria.
- In malaria endemic areas, people who have developed partial immunity may become infected but experience no symptoms.
Prevention
Vector control interventions
- Vector control is the main approach to prevent malaria and reduce transmission.
- Two forms of vector control are effective for people living in malaria-endemic countries:
- insecticide-treated nets, and
- indoor residual spraying, which is the application of an insecticide to surfaces where mosquitoes tend to rest.
- Chemopreventive therapies and chemoprophylaxis
- Although designed to treat patients already infected with malaria, some antimalarial medicines can also be used to prevent the disease.
Malaria in India
Prevalence
- Malaria remains one of the major public health problems in India.
- The country carries 1.7% of the global malaria case burden, 1.2% of global malaria deaths.
- Of importance is that India carries 47% of the global Plasmodium vivax malaria burden, making the country strategically important for global malaria elimination, particularly in the South-East Asian region.
- Malaria has been made notifiable in 31 states/UTs.
- States of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya and Madhya Pradesh disproportionately accounted for nearly 45.47 percent of malaria cases.
Steps taken
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched National Framework for Malaria Elimination (NFME) in 2016;
- National Strategic Plan (NSP) for Malaria Elimination (2016-2030) was launched by the Health Ministry.
- It has a vision of a malaria-free country by 2027 and elimination by 2030.
Malaria vaccine
- The R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India has been recommended for use by the WHO.