Malaria mortality rates have fallen by 33 per cent in African since 2000, according to a newly released report from the World Health Organization (WHO).
But the World Malaria Report 2011, released by the WHO on Tuesday (13 December 2011), warns that the projected shortfall in funding threatens these fragile gains and that emerging drug and insecticide resistance needs to be proactively addressed.
“Malaria mortality rates have fallen by more than 25 per cent globally since 2000 and by 33 per cent in the WHO African Region, according to the World Malaria Report 2011. This progress is the result of a significant scaling-up of malaria prevention and control measures in the last decade, including the widespread use of bed nets, better diagnostics and a wider availability of effective medicines to treat malaria,” the report states.
Dr Margaret Chan, the WHO’s executive director, said the organization is making significant progress in battling malaria, which is a major public health problem.
“Coverage of at-risk populations with malaria prevention and control measures increased again in 2010, and resulted in a further decline in estimated malaria cases and deaths. But there are worrisome signs that suggest progress might slow,” Dr Chan stated.
The report further states that malaria incidence and mortality rates have been cut in all regions of the world during the past decade.
In 2010 there were an estimated 216 million cases of malaria in 106 endemic countries and territories in the world.
“An estimated 81per cent of these cases and 91 per cent of deaths occurred in the WHO African region. Globally, 86 per cent of the victims were children under 5 years of age. There were an estimated 655 000 malaria deaths in 2010, which is 36 000 lower than the year before. While this 5 per cent year-on-year decline represents significant progress, the mortality figures are still disconcertingly high for a disease that is entirely preventable and treatable.”
Raymond Chambers, from the UN secretary general’s special envoy for Malaria, said one child still dies every minute from malaria, which is one child and one minute too many.
“With malaria deaths in Africa having fallen significantly since 2000, the return on our investment to end malaria deaths has been greater than any I have experienced in the business world. The toll taken by the current economic crisis must not result in our gains being reversed, or progress slowed. With Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s charge for near zero deaths by end of 2015, turning back now is not an option,” Chambers stated.
