The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday to mark World Malaria Day has estimated that as many as 21 countries in the World could be free of Malaria by 2020. Six countries in Africa could be free of the disease where malaria is most widespread; Bhutan, China, Nepal, and Malaysia are the other countries in the list.

One of the main goals of WHO 2016-2030 programs against malaria is to eliminate the disease in at least 10 countries by 2020. To reach this target, a country must achieve zero indigenous cases in at least one year by 2020.

“The ‘Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030’, approved by the World Health Assembly in 2015, calls for the elimination of local transmission of malaria in at least 10 countries by 2020,” the Geneva-based organisation said. In 2015, around 214 million cases were reported in 95 countries and more than 400 000 people died of malaria.

“WHO estimates that 21 countries are in a position to achieve this goal, including six countries in the African Region, where the burden of the disease is heaviest.”

Reaching the goals of the “Global Technical Strategy” will require a steep increase in global and domestic funding. Since the year 2000, malaria mortality rates have declined by 60 percent globally. Nearly half of the world’s population, around 3.2 billion people, remain at risk of malaria.

According to the WHO analysis, these 21 countries are Algeria, Belize, Bhutan, Botswana, Cabo Verde, China, Comoros, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Iran, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Paraguay, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Suriname, Swaziland, and Timor-Leste.