2021
Overview
China was WHO certified malaria-free in 2021 with the last indigenous case being reported in 2016. Malaria elimination in China began in the 1950s where health authorities provided preventive antimalarial medicines for people at risk and treatment for confirmed malaria cases. Additionally, the country reduced mosquito breeding grounds and increased the use of insecticide spraying. In 1967, the government of China launched the “523 Project” in an effort to find new treatments for malaria through research that eventually led to the discovery of artemisinin in the 1970s. China was also one of the first countries in the world to test the effectiveness of insecticide-treated nets for malaria prevention with more than 2.4 million nets distributed nationwide by 1988. Towards the end of 1990, the number of malaria cases fell to 117,000 with a reduction in deaths by 95%, a remarkable feat for a country that reported 30 million cases of malaria annually in the 1940s. Free basic public health package which included affordable services for diagnosis and treatment of malaria; effective multi-sector collaboration; better training, staffing, laboratory equipment and mosquito control; and strict adherence to the timelines of the “1-3-7” strategy are keys to success in eliminating malaria.
Malaria Incidence in China (2000-2020)
| Year | Incidence of malaria (per 1,000 population at risk) |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.014788 |
| 2001 | 0.038875 |
| 2002 | 0.046421 |
| 2003 | 0.051512 |
| 2004 | 0.048884 |
| 2005 | 0.039200 |
| 2006 | 0.062870 |
| 2007 | 0.051774 |
| 2008 | 0.029252 |
| 2009 | 0.016225 |
| 2010 | 0.008669 |
| 2011 | 0.002260 |
| 2012 | 0.000419 |
| 2013 | 0.000142 |
| 2014 | 0.000090 |
| 2015 | 0.000066 |
| 2016 | 0.000002 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
References
Cao, J., Newby, G., Cotter, C., Hsiang, M. S., Larson, E., Tatarsky, A., … & Gao, Q. (2021). Achieving malaria elimination in China. The Lancet Public Health, 6(12), e871-e872.
Cao, J., Sturrock, H. J., Cotter, C., Zhou, S., Zhou, H., Liu, Y., … & Gao, Q. (2014). Communicating and monitoring surveillance and response activities for malaria elimination: China’s “1-3-7” strategy. PLoS medicine, 11(5), e1001642.
Li, X. H., Zhou, H. N., Xu, J. W., Lin, Z. R., Sun, X. D., Li, J. Y., … & Yang, H. L. (2021). Seven decades towards malaria elimination in Yunnan, China. Malaria journal, 20(1), 1-16.
World Health Organization. (June 30, 2021). From 30 million cases to zero: China is certified malaria-free by WHO. News.