Contrasting the global trend, India continued to witness a decline in malaria cases and deaths in 2022, according to a new WHO report released Thursday.
There were around 33 lakh malaria cases and 5,000 deaths in India last year, a decrease of 30% and 34 % respectively compared with 2021.
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Globally, there were 249 million cases in 2022, 5 million more than in 2021.
According to the World Malaria Report 2023, the number of malaria cases globally had plateaued over the last decade or so — down from 243 million in 2000 to 233 million in 2019 — and increased during the pandemic. In 2020, the first year of the pandemic, there were 11 million more cases. The figures remained the same in 2021 only to increase in 2022.
The number of global malaria deaths was also higher: 608,000 deaths in 2022 compared with 576,000 in 2019.
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“This is due to good preventive and case management strategies and availability of effective vector control tools as well as point of care diagnostics and prompt treatment at community level,” said Dr Neena Valecha, former director of National Institute of Malaria Research.
The number of global malaria deaths was also higher: 608,000 deaths in 2022 compared with 576,000 in 2019. 
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