On November 30, 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that India accounted for 66% of the 5.2 million malaria cases recorded globally in 2022, making it the highest in the South East Asia region. Despite a 55% reduction in cases since 2015, cities like Mumbai and Delhi saw a surge in malaria cases in early 2023, partly attributed to unseasonal rainfall.
The World Malaria Report 2023 highlighted the impact of climate change on malaria transmission, emphasising the need for sustainable responses. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed the substantial risk climate change poses to malaria progress and called for urgent actions to combat global warming.
Globally, 249 million malaria cases were recorded in 2022, a significant increase from the previous year. Pakistan experienced the largest rise, with 2.1 million additional infections, followed by Ethiopia, Nigeria, Uganda, and Papua New Guinea.
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India and Indonesia accounted for 94% of global malaria deaths in 2022. However, the South East Asian region, comprising countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka, managed to reduce malaria cases and deaths significantly since 2000. Bhutan and Timor-Leste reported zero cases in 2022, while Nepal recorded no indigenous malaria deaths for the first time.
In contrast, Myanmar experienced a sevenfold increase in cases from 2019-2022, attributed to political and social instability. Meanwhile, Africa remained the worst-hit region, with 94% of all malaria cases and 95% of global malaria deaths in 2022, with a significant impact on children under the age of five.
