India sees largest drop in malaria cases in south-east Asia between 2000-19

United Nations, Dec 01: India made "impressive gains" in the global fight against malaria, recording the largest reduction in cases in South-East Asia from 20 million in 2000 to about 5.6 million last year, according to the World Health Organisation.

The World Malaria Report 2020, released on Monday, said that in 2019, malaria cases globally numbered about 229 million, an annual estimate that has remained virtually unchanged over the last four years.

Last year, the disease claimed about 409,000 lives, compared to 411,000 in 2018. "Countries in South-East Asia made particularly strong progress, with reductions in cases and deaths of 73 per cent and 74 per cent, respectively. India contributed to the largest drop in cases region-wide - from approximately 20 million to about 6 million," WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in the report's forward.