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Malaria figures in the list of ancient diseases with description of similar symptoms even in ancient Chinese, Mesopotamian and Indian texts and manuscripts. Throughout history it is believed to have wreaked havoc and it is attributed for the fall of many city states in ancient Greece. Recent studies by scientists using latest DNA techniques suggest that Malaria played a key role in the fall of the Roman Empire. The ‘Roman Fever’ is believed to be a deadly strain of Malaria. With the discovery of the parasitic plasmodium protozoa, its link with mosquitoes and subsequent discovery of drugs to treat the disease has controlled the spread of the disease in many of the developed countries.
However malaria still is a big concern in the developing countries. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), in 2015, there were 214 million cases, and 438 000 deaths from Malaria and still 3.2 billion (almost half of the world population) are at risk and 97 countries had on-going malaria transmission. The global malaria mortality rate was reduced by 60% in 2000-15, and an estimated 6.2 million lives were saved as a result of a scale-up of malaria interventions. In India the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme in its epidemiological indicators show that between the 2001-2014 cases of malaria declined from 2.08 million to 1.10 million.
However, the greatest concern is the reports of the parasites constantly mutating and resisting the drugs that are used to treat the disease. In India the first reported case of chloroquine resistant plasmodium was reported in 1973 from Diphu in Karbi Anglong. Though there are cases of unusual genetic structures of the parasites in regions where anti-malarial drug resistance are reported, the other likely causes are mostly attributed to unregulated, substandard, wrong and poor treatment of the disease.
In its continued fight with the disease the WHO will observe World Malaria Day on 25th April 2016 on the theme “End malaria for good” with a vision of a malaria-free world as set out in the “Global technical strategy for malaria 2016-2030”. Adopted in May 2015 by the World Health Assembly, the strategy aims to dramatically lower the global malaria burden over the next 15 years. The objective is to reduce the rate of new malaria cases by least 90% and deaths by least 90%. It also envisages to eliminate malaria in at least 35 countries and to prevent the resurgence of the disease in all the countries that are malaria-free.