Accelerating the fight towards malaria elimination: Bridging gaps to achieve health equity in India.

Abstract

Malaria continues to remain a serious threat to public health, especially in regions with socio-economic and healthcare disparities. The work attempts to contextualize the current scenario of malaria transmission, the advancement made towards its elimination and the multi-dimensional strategies that may be required to overcome cultural and regional barriers; with a focus on India's goal to eliminate malaria by 2030. The epidemiological spread of malaria across the country is nuanced; wherein an overall reduction of malaria cases recorded over the years (signifying success) could be juxtaposed with more concentration of cases in certain regions. These areas with higher transmission rates are majorly populated by vulnerable social categories like communities living in and near isolated areas, forests, and mountainous regions. This disproportionate distribution signifies the need for focused interventions that take into account localised cultural contexts. Obstacles like drug-resistant strains of parasites, insecticide resistance being developed by vectors and the limitations of existing diagnostic tools are also discussed in the context of socio-demographic changes like urbanization and migration. As India is moving towards elimination phase, health equity has been identified as a key concern. Ensuring equitable access to diagnostic tools, curative facilities and preventive measures becomes key for malaria elimination. In addition to a strong healthcare system, community level involvement engendering community ownership is put forth as a key factor for the success of interventions. Opportunities to improve these efforts through the incorporation of cutting-edge technology, like drone surveillance for vector control and artificial intelligence for diagnosis and rapid identification and response to outbreak have also been brought to the fore. This work emphasizes the significance of an equity-focused approach to malaria elimination, integrating innovative tools and engendering community level cooperation.