Fri Aug 01 04:51:00 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a summary and a news article based on the provided text:
**Summary:**
A new report highlights the urgent need for advancements in malaria prevention and treatment as progress has stalled due to parasite resistance and adaptability. While India has made significant strides in reducing its malaria burden, persistent pockets of infection remain, particularly in tribal areas, complicated by the presence of both *Plasmodium falciparum* and the relapse-prone *Plasmodium vivax*. The report emphasizes the importance of next-generation vaccines, including whole-parasite, blood-stage, and transmission-blocking vaccines, alongside innovative strategies like CRISPR-based gene drives targeting mosquito vectors. It stresses that achieving India’s goal of malaria elimination by 2030 requires a multi-faceted approach, combining scientific innovation with robust infrastructure, political will, and community-level interventions. Collaboration between industry, academia, and regulatory bodies is crucial to translate research breakthroughs into effective and accessible solutions.
**News Article:**
**India Races to Eliminate Malaria by 2030: New Vaccines and Innovative Strategies Hold Promise**
**New Delhi, August 1, 2025 (The Hindu)** – Despite significant progress in recent years, India faces a persistent challenge in its fight against malaria, with experts calling for a renewed push in innovation and implementation to meet the ambitious goal of elimination by 2030.
A new report highlights the evolving nature of the malaria parasite, which is increasingly resistant to existing treatments, demanding a new generation of tools. While India has reduced its malaria burden by over 80% between 2015 and 2023, pockets of infection remain, particularly in tribal districts of states like Mizoram and Chhattisgarh.
The presence of both *Plasmodium falciparum* and *Plasmodium vivax*, with the latter prone to relapses, further complicates elimination efforts.
Hope lies in next-generation vaccines. The R21/Matrix-M vaccine, already WHO-approved, shows promise due to its high efficacy and Indian production, but scientists are also exploring whole-parasite, blood-stage, and transmission-blocking vaccines (TBVs). India is making strides in this area with the announcement last month of AdFalciVax, the country’s first indigenous dual-stage malaria vaccine, that both prevents infection and blocks mosquito transmission.
“AdFalciVax has completed preclinical testing and is a significant step forward. Successful deployment however, will require good results over multiple stages of trials as well as regulatory approvals, likely taking at least 7–8 years.”, Dr. Subhash Singh at ICMR-RMRC Bhubaneswar stated.
Beyond vaccines, cutting-edge approaches like CRISPR-based gene drives, aimed at disrupting mosquito populations, are under investigation.
Scientists like Agam P. Singh at the National Institute of Immunology are working on TBVs to address the significant asymptomatic carrier population in India.
Experts stress that a successful malaria elimination strategy must be multi-faceted, encompassing not only scientific breakthroughs but also improved infrastructure, political commitment, and effective community-level healthcare delivery.
“We need a COVID-style push,” said Dr. Pawan Malhotra, emeritus scientist at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB). “Industry and academia must collaborate with proper funding…A lone scientist in a lab can’t do it all.”
The report concludes that India stands at a critical juncture in its fight against malaria, and that achieving the 2030 goal will require a concerted effort to translate scientific advancements into real-world impact. The tools are emerging, and commitment is required to ensure they are deployed everywhere the malaria parasite survives.
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