Gert van der Hoek
In Memoriam - Editor, Senior Moderator
Malaria deaths in India 13 times more than thought
PARIS, FRANCE Oct 21 2010
Malaria kills more than 200 000 people in India each year, 13 times higher than UN estimates, according to a paper published online on Thursday by the Lancet.
The UN's World Health Organisation (WHO) says that the malarial death toll in India, the most populous country where the disease is endemic, is about 15 000 annually, comprising 5 000 children and 10 000 adults.
The new study says the WHO's reporting method is flawed, as it depends indirectly on patients who have been diagnosed by a doctor.
Many deaths in India occur at home, rather than in a hospital or a clinic, which means the underlying cause of many malaria fatalities is likely to be misattributed, it says.
Read more
India has its own forum with news on several diseases, incl. malaria.
PARIS, FRANCE Oct 21 2010
Malaria kills more than 200 000 people in India each year, 13 times higher than UN estimates, according to a paper published online on Thursday by the Lancet.
The UN's World Health Organisation (WHO) says that the malarial death toll in India, the most populous country where the disease is endemic, is about 15 000 annually, comprising 5 000 children and 10 000 adults.
The new study says the WHO's reporting method is flawed, as it depends indirectly on patients who have been diagnosed by a doctor.
Many deaths in India occur at home, rather than in a hospital or a clinic, which means the underlying cause of many malaria fatalities is likely to be misattributed, it says.
Read more
India has its own forum with news on several diseases, incl. malaria.