Boosting efforts in South Asia to eliminate malaria, India launches national framework to eliminate malaria by 2030

Mr. J. P. Nadda, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare in India, launched an ambitious national framework to eliminate malaria by 2030 and prevent its reintroduction. The two-day National Meeting on Malaria Elimination in Delhi (10-11 February 2016) was attended by representatives from the Government of India, WHO, academics, and other global and national partners. India’s National Framework for Malaria Elimination outlines a phased approach to elimination and identifies specific interventions and targets for each state, based on annual parasite incidence.

India’s efforts align with the regional commitment to eliminate malaria in the Asia Pacific by 2030 and the Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance (APLMA) Malaria Elimination Roadmap that aims to coordinate regional action to achieve the 2030 goal. India is also a member of the Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network (APMEN) that facilitates cross-country learnings and information sharing about key challenges facing the region, including anti-malarial drug resistance that has been reported near the India-Myanmar border. India’s commitment, investment, and action in malaria elimination will be critical to elimination efforts in neighboring countries—Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Nepal—that have seen dramatic progress in driving down the disease. Dr. Nafisah Mboi, the APLMA Envoy, commends India’s renewed commitment to the fight against malaria and recognizes the significance of the framework for regional and global malaria elimination.