Kathmandu, April 27 -- Nepal missed the malaria elimination target, and this is official.

The government had committed to earning the 'malaria-free' status in 2026, for that the country needs to bring down indigenous cases or local transmission of the disease to zero, achieve zero deaths from 2023, and sustain zero indigenous cases for three consecutive years.

However, new cases of indigenous malaria have been reported in 2023 and 2024, which shattered all prospects to eliminate the disease from the country.

"It is not possible to eliminate malaria by 2025, as indigenous cases of the deadly disease have been reported in 2023 and 2024," said Dr Sangeeta Kaushal Mishra, director general of the Department of Health Services. "The new dead...