NEW DELHI: The number of states and Union Territories (UTs) in India with a high malaria burden has decreased from 10 in 2015 to just two in 2023, according to the latest data from the health ministry. A state or UT is classified as having a ‘high burden’ (Category 3) if it reports more than one malaria case per 1,000 people under surveillance.
The health ministry reports that, between 2015 and 2023, several states have moved from the high-burden category to either significantly lower or zero-burden categories. In 2015, 10 states and UTs were classified as Category 3. By 2023, only Mizoram and Tripura remain in this category, while states like Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Meghalaya have transitioned to Category 2.
Category 2 is defined as a state or UT with fewer than one malaria case per 1,000 population under surveillance, but some districts may still have a higher prevalence. Additionally, the latest data reveals that four states—Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli—have moved to Category 1, where malaria cases are fewer than one across all districts.
