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Context: The Yaounde Declaration made by the Health Ministers from 11 African countries that accounts for the majority of malaria cases and fatalities worldwide. The declaration reflects their renewed commitment to eliminating malaria mortality.

Key Highlights

• The largest burden of malaria infections and deaths worldwide is borne by the 11 African nations: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania.
• The Yaounde Declaration resulted from a conference in Yaoundé, Cameroon, attended by health ministers from 11 African countries (most affected by malaria) and other stakeholders involved in malaria control initiatives.
• The declaration was motivated by alarming data indicating a significant increase in malaria cases worldwide, particularly in Africa, which bears the greatest burden of malaria-related morbidity and mortality.
• The ministers highlighted the need to resolve the root causes that have slowed malaria eradication efforts. These include ecological changes, changes in vector behaviour, access to healthcare services, humanitarian situations, climate change effects, and developing biological dangers.
• The declaration stressed the importance of extending investments in crucial sectors such as healthcare infrastructure, workforce capacity, program implementation, and collaborative partnerships for finance, research, and development.
• Experts emphasise that to successfully achieve the intended objectives, the political commitments must develop into concrete measures on the ground, even though the proclamation is a big step forward.

World Malaria Report 2023

• The World Malaria Report highlights significant success in India's fight against malaria, despite global trends of rising cases and fatalities from the disease.
• In 2022, India had a 30% reduction in malaria infections and a 34% decrease in fatality compared to the previous year. This decrease is significant, especially given global increases in malaria incidence.
• India's focus on delivering primary healthcare services in remote places has played an important part.
  • Improved surveillance, aided by digital data, has resulted in better tracking of malaria cases.
  • Effective management of extreme weather events, such as cyclones, has helped to reduce malaria incidence.
  • Adoption of good preventative techniques, such as mosquito population control methods and rapid diagnosis using point-of-care diagnostics, has proven critical.
• Climate change presents serious challenges to malaria control efforts. Rising temperatures, humidity, and rainfall produce favourable conditions for malaria transmission, broadening the disease's geographic spread.
• Increased surveillance efforts are required to properly identify and treat isolated infections despite the decline in reported cases. Real-time digital data can help local governments plan focused initiatives.

Conclusion

• The African Union has set high goals for malaria control and eradication by 2030. However, progress has fallen short of intermediate targets, emphasising the critical need for greater financial support and coordinated actions to close current gaps and accelerate progress toward malaria elimination.

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MALARIA:  https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/malaria-2

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