Context:
India has committed to eliminating malaria by 2030 in line with global targets. However, the emergence and rapid spread of an invasive mosquito species — Anopheles stephensi — especially in urban areas, poses a serious challenge to achieving this goal, as highlighted in the Malaria Elimination Technical Report 2025 released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Key Highlights:
- Scientific / Epidemiological Background
- Anopheles stephensi is traditionally an urban malaria vector, unlike rural-focused vectors in India.
- It breeds in artificial water containers such as overhead tanks, construction sites, and informal settlements.
- Capable of transmitting Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax.
- Spread and High-Burden Pockets
- Increasing presence in metros like Delhi and peri-urban areas.
- Persistent high-burden districts in Odisha, Tripura, Mizoram, and cross-border regions near Bangladesh and Myanmar.
- Urbanisation, migration, population density, and climate suitability aid transmission.
- Data & Trends
- Malaria cases reduced from 17.1 lakh (2015) to ~2.27 lakh (2024) — a 78% decline.
- Despite progress, urban malaria and imported cases threaten reversal of gains.
- Government & Technical Response
- Intensified surveillance systems.
- Improved vector monitoring and supply-chain reliability for diagnostics and drugs.
- Focus on city-specific vector control strategies.
Relevant Prelims Points:
- Issue: Threat to malaria elimination due to invasive Anopheles stephensi.
- Causes: Rapid urbanisation, poor water storage practices, informal settlements, climate adaptability.
- Government Initiatives:
- National Framework for Malaria Elimination (NFME).
- Target of zero indigenous cases by 2027.
- Benefits: Reduced mortality, improved public health outcomes, SDG alignment.
- Challenges: Urban breeding habitats, insecticide resistance, diagnostic gaps, cross-border transmission.
- Impact: Risk of resurgence in urban and peri-urban India.
Relevant Mains Points:
- Facts & Definitions:
- Anopheles stephensi recognised globally as an invasive urban malaria vector by the World Health Organization.
- Conceptual Linkages:
- Urban health, climate change, migration, and vector ecology.
- Governance & Policy Gaps:
- Fragmented urban health delivery.
- Limited entomological capacity and inconsistent private-sector reporting.
- Way Forward:
- Urban-centric malaria control policies.
- Strengthening municipal capacity and inter-State coordination.
- Community awareness on water storage and sanitation.
- Cross-border surveillance cooperation.
UPSC Relevance (GS-wise):
- GS II: Government policies, health governance
- GS III: Public health, science & technology, environmental challenges
- GS I: Population dynamics, urbanisation