Malaria No More India to partner Reckitt Benckiser on ‘#MissionZeroMalaria’

New Delhi: Malaria No More India has partnered with Reckitt Benckiser on ‘#MissionZeroMalaria’. Through this program it hopes to enhance health awareness and inspire the adoption of desired behaviors within the community, along with collaborative partnerships with health system of the target geography – Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.

MNM plans to integrate inventive solutions and innovative approaches to achieve this goal.

This partnership offers a great opportunity for MNM to add to its efforts of supporting India’s ambition of eliminating malaria by 2030.

The country is now entering the endgame of its fight against malaria, and these warrants targeted and concerted efforts – relying on new tools, technologies, and innovations. However, India must also be tactical in identifying innovations that need to be prioritized. For instance, with respect to the WHO approved RTS,S/AS01 vaccine India must be measured in its approach, The country has witnessed an 85.1 per cent decline in malaria cases and 83.36 per cent decline in deaths between 2015 and 2022 and currently it falls under lower endemic zone with predominantly Plasmodium Vivax cases where the vaccine remains ineffective.  More research is needed on efficacy, safety, and cost benefit analysis in Indian settings to assess the utility of vaccine.

Adding to this, Mr. Pratik Kumar, Country Director, Malaria No More India, stated, “Ever since our inception in 2016, we have been supporting India with its aspiration of achieving a historic feat – eliminating malaria within our lifetimes. We have contributed to pushing key advocacy agendas, offering technical inputs through strategy workshops conducted at the national and state levels, and behavior change communication interventions. #MissionZeroMalaria is yet another effort where we underscore our commitment to India’s malaria elimination priorities, allowing for the fulfilment of our Prime Minister’s vision of a #MalariaMuktBharat!”