China declared Malaria-free
- July 4, 2021
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
China declared Malaria-free
Subject: International Organisation
Context :The World Health Organization (WHO) declaring that China was “malaria-free” followed a seven decade-long, multi-pronged health strategy that was able to entirely eliminate indigenous cases for four straight years,
Concept:
The number of malaria cases worldwide in 2019 was around 229 million, according to the World Malaria Report in 2020, with 409,000 lives lost to the mosquito borne disease. The 2020 report said the majority of cases were reported in Africa, while India and Southeast Asia recorded a significant drop.
The WHO said China is the first country in the Western Pacific region to be declared malaria-free in more than 30 years, following Australia in 1981, Singapore in 1982 and Brunei in 1987.
Steps taken,
- A multi-pronged approach of providing anti-malarial medicines while targeting mosquito breeding grounds and using insecticide spraying.
- A national effort called ‘the 523 Project’ was launched in 1967 involving more than 500 scientists from 60 institutes, leading to the discovery of artemisinin in the 1970s,an antimalarial drug.
- In the 1980s, China began using insecticide-treated nets widely. Cases began to drop.
- With assistance from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria starting in 2003, China stepped up training, staffing, laboratory equipment, medicines and mosquito control an effort that led to a further reduction in cases.
- A “1-3-7 strategy” referring to a one-day deadline to report a malaria diagnosis, confirming a case and determining the spread by the third day, and measures taken to stop the spread by the seventh day, along with continued surveillance in high-risk areas.
Malaria: It is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.