India has made gains against malaria but vigilance is key, say experts

Scientists and public health experts underscored the need for strengthened surveillance systems, sharper cross-border collaboration, targeted interventions in high-burden regions, and sustained political and financial commitment to eliminate malaria at a symposium hosted by the Atal Incubation Centre-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (AIC-CCMB) on Saturday.

Marking ‘World Malaria Day’, participants called for a coordinated, non-exclusionary, evidence-driven and holistic approach to ensure India stays on course to achieve its malaria elimination target by 2030. While malaria cases and mortality have greatly declined in recent years, experts warned that the disease continues to pose a threat in vulnerable tribal, forested and remote regions, some of which have recently reported a spike in cases.