Many, however, will query the suitability of VA for estimating malaria deaths. It is well known that, in many parts of the world where malaria is endemic, any case of fever is popularly referred to as “malaria”, even though the symptoms of malaria are shared with many other common causes of acute fever. Put simply, asking a family member whether a death that took place up to three years ago involved a fever, which might have been due to malaria, seems unlikely to produce a reliable answer. (Additional information was collected by the field workers in this study but the underlying weakness of relying on the informants’ memories and personal interpretations nevertheless remains.)

WHO’s Global Malaria Programme (GMP) has already responded to the researchers’ conclusions. GMP acknowledges that “routine reports of malaria cases and deaths in India are certainly incomplete” but considers that the estimate of 205,000 deaths annually is far too high. A GMP statement continues:
“Recent work by WHO and partners in one Indian setting showed that as few as 4% of deaths attributed to malaria by VA were actually caused by malaria.