World Malaria Day: Gujarat Nears Elimination With 92% Case Decline

Gujarat has recorded a sharp decline of around 92 per cent in malaria cases over the past decade, the state Health Department said on Saturday, underscoring consistent surveillance and preventive efforts as World Malaria Day was marked.

Observed annually on April 25 by the World Health Organisation, the day aims to raise awareness about malaria control and encourage community participation.

This year’s theme, ‘Driven to End Malaria: Now We Can. Now We Must’, emphasises intensified efforts toward elimination.

Officials said extensive measures cover rural and urban areas, including house-to-house and fever surveillance, anti-larval operations, inspection of construction sites, blood screening of labourers, and the use of larvivorous fish in stagnant water.

Free diagnosis and treatment are available at all government health centres.

In 2025 alone, testing covered more than 1.81 lakh fever patients, and those who tested positive received timely treatment.

The malaria positivity rate has fallen below one per 1,000 population across all districts and municipal corporations, leading to Gujarat’s transition from Category-2 to Category-1 under the malaria elimination framework.

Health officials noted that the Plasmodium parasite causes malaria and that infected female Anopheles mosquitoes spread it through their bites, breeding in clean, stagnant water.

Common symptoms include chills, fever with shivering, headache, body aches, nausea or vomiting, and excessive sweating after the fever subsides.

The department has also launched widespread awareness campaigns through exhibitions, rallies, educational programmes and media outreach to promote preventive practices such as covering water containers, avoiding water stagnation, using mosquito nets and seeking prompt blood tests in case of fever.

Officials stressed that early diagnosis and complete treatment remain the most effective ways to prevent malaria.

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