Malaria causes significant morbidity and mortality each year. In the past few years, the global malaria cases have been declining and many endemic countries are heading towards malaria elimination. Nevertheless, reducing the number of cases seems to be easy than sustained elimination. Therefore to achieve the objective of complete elimination and maintaining the elimination status, it is necessary to assess the gains made during the recent years. With inclining global support and World Health Organisation (WHO) efforts, the control programmes have been implemented effectively in many endemic countries. Given the aroused interest and investments into malaria elimination programmes at global level, the ambitious goal of elimination appears feasible. Sustainable interventions have played a pivotal role in malaria contraction, however drug and insecticide resistance, social, demographic, cultural and behavioural beliefs and practices, and unreformed health infrastructure could drift back the progress attained so far. Ignoring such impeding factors coupled with certain region specific factors may jeopardise our ability to abide righteous track to achieve global elimination of malaria parasite. Although support beyond the territories is important, but well managed integrated vector management approach at regional and country level using scrupulously selected area specific interventions targeting both vector and parasite along with the community involvement is necessary. A brief incline in malaria during 2016 has raised fresh perturbation on whether elimination could be achieved on time or not. The intervention tools available currently can most likely reduce transmission but clearing of malaria epicentres from where the disease can flare up any time, is not possible without involving local population. Nevertheless maintaining zero malaria transmission and checks on malaria import in declared malaria free countries, and further speeding up of interventions to stop transmission in elimination countries is most desirable. Strong collaboration backed by adequate political and financial support among the countries with a common objective to eliminate malaria must be on top priority. The present review attempts to assess the progress gained in malaria elimination during the past few years and highlights some issues that could be important in successful malaria elimination.

Malaria is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Northeast India. As there is limited information available on the potential influence of socio-economic variables on malaria risk, the present study was conducted to assess the influence of demographic factors, the socio-economic status, and knowledge, awareness and education on malaria occurrence.

Reduced susceptibility of mosquito vectors to currently used insecticides hampers control interventions. Recently pyriproxyfen, an insect growth regulator has been demonstrated to effectively reduce the reproductive potential in vector mosquitoes. Pyriproxyfen (PPF), in different concentrations (0.75%, 0.075%, 0.0075%, and 0.00075%) was applied on papers and Indian wild type Aedes aegypti female mosquitoes (N ≥ 20 for each treatment) were exposed onto it as per WHO guidelines, to study the reproductive disruption. PPF concentration on treated papers was quantitatively cross-determined using HPLC method. Reduction in fecundity, fertility and adult emergence in exposed female Ae. aegypti was determined. Abnormal development in ovary and eggs of exposed females was studied microscopically after different time intervals. Eggs laid, eggs hatched, pupae formed and adults emerged per female exposed in both before blood meal and after blood meal groups declined significantly from lowest to highest concentration of PPF (F ≥ 5.2; p < 0.02). Adult emergence inhibition in females exposed to PPF before and after blood meal groups ranged from 58.8% [OR = 0.18 (95% CI = 0.09–0.36)] to 79.2% [OR = 0.04 (95% CI = 0.02–0.10)] and 64.4% [OR = 0.12 (95% CI = 0.05–0.28)] to 77.2% [OR = 0.05 (95% CI = 0.02–0.14)] respectively in different concentrations. The probit model used suggested that FI₅₀ (50% fertility inhibition) and EI₅₀ (50% emergence inhibition) were 0.002% (p = 0.8) and 0.0001% (p = 0.99) for females exposed before blood meal, while 0.01% (p = 0.6) and <0.0001% (p = 0.98) for the females exposed after blood meal, respectively. The eggs laid by the females exposed to PPF-treated surface showed altered body organization, desegmentation and disoriented abdominal and cervical regions in the developing embryo. Quantification of PPF on impregnated papers showed that it was uniformly distributed throughout the matrix. The present study has shown that tarsal contact to PPF-treated surface for a small time drastically influenced the fecundity, fertility and adult emergence in Indian wild Ae. aegypti mosquitoes. Results suggest that a certain minimum concentration of PPF through contact exposure can reduce the abundance of vector mosquitoes to a considerable level. The formulations based on combination of PPF and other compatible insecticides may be an impactful approach where susceptible mosquitoes are killed by the insecticide component while resistant mosquitoes are sterilised by PPF. Development of resistance against insecticides has challenged mosquito control programmes globally and prompted the research of alternative options that can complement insecticides. An insect growth regulator, pyriproxyfen (PPF) usage against mosquitoes can effectively reduce the vector population. PPF mainly inhibits the metamorphosis of mosquito larvae into pupae and prevent the adult emergence, therefore it is generally applied in mosquito breeding habitats. PPF has been shown to exhibit delayed residual effect that may impair the reproductive capacity by affecting the survival, fecundity and fertility of adult mosquito exposed through tarsal contact. Presently, the effectiveness of different concentrations of PPF intended to be delivered through contact have been evaluated against dengue vector Ae. aegypti. Results suggested that very low PPF concentration treated surfaces drastically reduce the fecundity, fertility and adult emergence in mosquitoes. Study suggests that control interventions based on PPF-treated surfaces could provide an additional route to target mosquito vector control by overall population density reduction.