From 14,000 to under 300: Telangana’s malaria elimination success story

Telangana has reduced malaria cases by over 98% since 2014 through aggressive testing, treatment and prevention. A new MOHFW-ICMR report calls the State a national model for malaria control and elimination.

Hyderabad: A landmark technical report on malaria elimination, recently released in December 2025 by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), has highlighted Telangana State’s achievement in literally eliminating malaria between 2014 and 2022.

Casting a spotlight on Telangana as a national success story, the MOHFW-ICMR report indicates that since its formation in 2014, Telangana has dismantled the prevalence of malaria through a sustained and aggressive multi-pronged strategy. Under the leadership of the BRS administration, the State health department launched an aggressive multi-pronged strategy, reducing malaria cases from the annual 14,000 cases in 2014 to a record 877 in 2021-22.

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Immediately after the State’s formation, Telangana faced a heavy disease burden of a staggering 14,000 positive malaria cases annually. Sustained efforts to fight the vector-borne disease, under the BRS administration, led to a steady decline and by 2021, the number dropped to 877.

As a result of the huge drop, in 2022, the Telangana State was given official ‘Category-1’ status by MOHFW, indicating that Telangana was among a few Indian States that would be first to eliminate malaria completely.

The success over malaria was based on the robust surveillance, which employed a ‘3T’ strategy including Test, Treat and Track. This ensured that every fever case in remote tribal pockets and even in urban centres was screened and treated properly.

Another major measure by BRS administration in fight against malaria was distribution of over 7.5 lakh Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) to households, with special focus on high-risk zones such as Bhadradri Kothagudem, Mulugu, urban centres like Warangal, Nizamabad and Hyderabad. A mandatory year-long anti-larval operations were taken up for multiple years, to control the malaria-positive cases.

As of early 2026, the legacy of these interventions continues to protect Telangana. While the focus has now shifted toward preventing ‘imported’ cases from neighbouring regions, the infrastructure established during the 2014–2021 period remains the backbone of Telangana’s vector-borne disease control, senior health officials on condition of anonymity said.

Senior doctors familiar with the subject, on condition of anonymity, said that by maintaining the rigorous standards set during the successful 2014–2021 campaign, Telangana not only safeguarded its own citizens but also provided a ‘buffer zone’ that helped prevent the spread of the disease to neighbouring States.

Annual malaria cases in TS:

• 2014: 13,980
• 2016: 2,400
• 2018: 1200
• 2021: 877
• 2023: 261
• 2025: 270
• High burden of malaria during State formation
• Intensive 3T strategy of testing, treatment and tracking implemented
• Expansion of anti-larval measures to all districts
• In 2021, Telangana achieved Category-I status
• MOHFW-ICMR hails Telangana as a model state in malaria control