Daijiworld Media Network - Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad, Apr 27: Gujarat has achieved a significant public health milestone, recording a nearly 92 percent decline in malaria cases over the past ten years, according to the state Health Department. The announcement coincided with the observance of World Malaria Day on April 25.
Marked annually by the World Health Organization, the day aims to strengthen awareness and mobilise efforts toward malaria elimination. This year’s theme, “Driven to End Malaria: Now We Can. Now We Must,” underscores the urgency of intensifying control measures.
Officials credited the sharp decline to sustained surveillance and preventive interventions implemented across both rural and urban regions. These include door-to-door monitoring, fever tracking, anti-larval operations, inspections at construction sites, blood screening of labourers, and the introduction of larvivorous fish in stagnant water bodies.
The state has also ensured free diagnosis and treatment at government health facilities. In 2025 alone, over 1.81 lakh fever cases were tested, with those found positive receiving timely care.
Data indicates that Gujarat’s malaria positivity rate has fallen below one per 1,000 population across all districts and municipal corporations. This improvement has enabled the state to move from Category-2 to Category-1 under India’s malaria elimination framework.
Health experts note that malaria is caused by the Plasmodium parasite and spreads through bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, which typically breed in clean, stagnant water. Common symptoms include chills, high fever, headaches, body pain, nausea, and heavy sweating.
To further strengthen prevention, authorities have launched widespread awareness campaigns through public exhibitions, rallies, educational programmes, and outreach via media platforms. Citizens are being urged to adopt simple measures such as covering water containers, avoiding water stagnation, using mosquito nets, installing window screens, and seeking immediate testing in case of fever.
Officials emphasised that early diagnosis and complete treatment remain the most effective strategies to eliminate malaria.