India recorded highest malaria cases, deaths in SE Asia Region in 2022: WHO

India topped countries in the SouthEast Asia Region for the most number of malaria cases and deaths in 2022 according to the 2023 World malaria report published by the World Health Organization WHO on Thursday The report showed that in 2022 nine countries in the SouthEast Asia Region contributed to about 2 per cent of the burden of malaria globally 52 million casesMost malaria cases in the region were concentrated in India 66 per cent and about 94 per cent of deaths were in India and Indonesia Globally there were estimated 249 million malaria cases in 2022 exceeding the prepandemic level of 233 million in 2019 by 16 million casesThere were also an additional five million malaria cases in 2022 over the previous year and five countries bore the brunt of these increases the report said Pakistan saw the largest increase with about 26 million cases in 2022 compared to 500000 in 2021 Significant increases were also observed in Ethiopia Nigeria Papua New Guinea and UgandaMeanwhile in the 11 countries that carry the highest burden of malaria rates of new infections and deaths have levelled off following an initial upsurge during the first year of the pandemic These countries supported through the WHO ldquoHigh burden to high impactrdquo approach saw an estimated 167 million malaria cases and 426000 deaths in 2022The report emphasised on the growing threat of climate change in increasing malaria cases It showed that changes in temperature humidity and rainfall can influence the behaviour and survival of the malariacarrying Anopheles mosquito Extreme weather events such as heatwaves and flooding can also directly impact transmission and disease burden Catastrophic flooding in Pakistan in 2022 for example led to a fivefold increase in malaria cases in the countryldquoThe changing climate poses a substantial risk to progress against malaria particularly in vulnerable regions Sustainable and resilient malaria responses are needed now more than ever coupled with urgent actions to slow the pace of global warming and reduce its effectsrdquo said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus WHO DirectorGeneral in a statementClimate variability is expected to have indirect effects on malaria trends through for example reduced access to essential malaria services and disruptions to the supply chain of insecticidetreated nets medicines and vaccines Population displacement due to climateinduced factors may also lead to increased malaria as individuals without immunity migrate to endemic areasThere has also been progress toward malaria elimination in many countries with a low burden of the disease In 2022 34 countries reported fewer than 1000 cases of malaria compared to just 13 countries in 2000 This year alone three more countries were certified by WHO as malariafree Azerbaijan Belize and Tajikistan and several others are on track to eliminate the disease in the coming yearThe report also cites achievements such as the phased rollout of the first WHOrecommended malaria vaccine RTSSAS01 in three African countries In October 2023 WHO recommended a second safe and effective malaria vaccine R21MatrixM The availability of two malaria vaccines is expected to increase supply and make broadscale deployment across Africa possibleThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever