Incidence, Prevalence and Mortality Rates of Malaria in India, 1990-2015:An Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study

Introduction: Malaria is the most important parasitic diseases of humans and one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in tropical countries as far parasitic disease is concerned. India is the most populous country in which malaria is common. About 95% population in the country resides in malaria endemic areas and 80% of malaria reported in the country is confined to areas consisting 20% of population residing in tribal, hilly, difficult and inaccessible areas. Data &Methods: In this study, the 2015 global burden of diseases, injuries and risk factors (GBD) data were used to measure the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years lost (DALY) rates of malaria during 1990-2015.Age and gender-specific causes of death for malaria were estimated using cause of death ensemble modeling. Result: The number of new cases of malaria declined from 82.16million (95% UI 41.22-151.76 million) in 1990 to 74.83 million (95%UI 34.72-144.45) in 2015.Age-standardized mortality rate of malaria has declined by 41.07% between 1990 and 2015.The number of DALY due to malaria decreased from6.41 million (95% UI 5.52-7.42 million) in 1990 to 3.76million (95% UI 2.95-4.79 million) in 2015 with a total reduction of 41.31%. Conclusion: India has achieved the MDG target related to malaria. In order to achieve SDG target of eliminating malaria by 2030, the Strategic Plan should aims at improving the availability and access to health care primarily to people residing in high-risk geographic areas, women and children.