By: IPP Bureau
Last updated : August 31, 2026 6:29 am
Health Ministry reviews malaria elimination strategy with focus now on remaining 33 high-burden districts to achieve SDG target of ending malaria by 2030
India has reduced malaria cases and deaths by nearly 80% between 2015 and 2025, with the number of high-burden districts falling from 155 to 33, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The progress was reviewed at a high-level meeting chaired by Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary and Mission Director, National Health Mission (NHM), with senior officials from the Ministry, the National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control (NCVBDC), National Health Missions and district administrations.
The review focused on the 33 high-burden districts across nine States and Union Territories, which together accounted for 64% of India's malaria cases and 54% of malaria deaths in 2025.
Detailed state-wise reviews were undertaken for Mizoram, Odisha, Tripura, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.
India's malaria elimination efforts have also resulted in sustained interruption of local transmission in several parts of the country. As many as 160 districts reported zero indigenous malaria cases between 2022 and 2025, reflecting the impact of targeted surveillance, prevention and treatment interventions.
During the review, Patnaik emphasised the need to maintain high levels of vigilance and adopt area-specific strategies based on local epidemiological and geographical conditions.
States were asked to ensure effective implementation of District Action Plans across all 33 high-burden districts, along with Village Action Plans in high-burden villages.
The meeting also highlighted the importance of strengthening the Test, Treat and Track strategy, particularly to reduce delays in diagnosis and treatment that can contribute to malaria-related deaths.
The review also focused on improving surveillance systems and the quality of malaria-related data.
States were advised to examine unusually high Annual Blood Examination Rates (ABER) to identify possible duplicate testing, repeated entries and the inclusion of asymptomatic screening.
The Ministry emphasised that asymptomatic cases identified through mass screening should be reported separately and excluded from API and ABER calculations to ensure a more accurate assessment of malaria transmission and programme performance.