116 Districts In India Reported Zero Malaria Cases In 2020: Health Minister

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan also said that the country's achievement in this regard has been well recognised by World Malaria Reports of 2018, 2019 and 2020.

As many as 116 districts in India reported zero malaria cases in 2020 and the country has been able to achieve remarkable success in reducing the disease burden in terms of cases by 84.5 per cent and deaths by 83.6 per cent, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Friday. He also said that the country's achievement in this regard has been well recognised by World Malaria Reports of 2018, 2019 and 2020. The minister said the World Health Organisation (WHO) has attributed India's success to rejuvenated political commitment, strengthened technical leadership which focused on prioritising the right mix of vector control measures, and increased domestic funding to support the effective implementation of elimination strategies. Mr Vardhan, who chaired the "Reaching Zero" forum on malaria elimination through video conferencing, said April 25 is observed as World Malaria Day every year, the health ministry said in a statement, adding that this year's theme is "Reaching the Zero Malaria target".