As 2015 draws closer, the Millennium Development Goals are becoming more attainable than ever before. One of the critical pieces of the Millennium Development Goals is the fight against malaria.  Success in that fight has produced RESULTS across the board.

Check out this new video from the Malaria No More Policy Center, demonstrating the myriad successes that the world has seen from the tremendous efforts against malaria so far:

While these statistics represent real lives that are being impacted by the progress in the fight against malaria, it must also be remembered that these results are not irreversible. The global community must push forward and advance these gains in order to end malaria deaths in Africa by 2015.

Learn more from the Malaria No More Policy Center here.

As we find ourselves firmly in midsummer, today marks 170 days until the end of 2010—the goal that the United Nations Secretary-General set, with the entire malaria community behind him, for providing universal access to mosquito nets for every family at risk of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa.

With that deadline looming, we thought that now would be a good time to take stock of an exciting first half of 2010 for the fight against malaria, marked by incredible progress and leadership:

• According to a UNICEF report, African children are using nets in 2009 in far greater proportions than in 2000—in 11 countries, it’s a 10-fold increase!
• African leaders are showing their commitment to the fight against malaria in their borders, with the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) announcing joint efforts to battle disease at the World Economic Forum in Tanzania.
• The majority of African countries have developed national, domestically-owned and -operated plans for achieving the universal coverage targets, including monthly distribution plans for insecticide-treated nets.
• Child mortality is decreasing—and more rapidly than ever before—from all causes, including malaria, according to medical journal The Lancet.
• African entertainers from West to East are generating buzz by making malaria part of their pop culture messaging, inspiring audiences to tackle malaria in their communities with projects like Zinduka! in Tanzania and Xeex Sibbiru in Senegal.

While this momentum is encouraging, these gains will only be continued by sustained effort and support by donor and national governments, local and international organizations, and individual families fighting malaria on the front lines.

Our goal is not simply to end malaria deaths in Africa by 2015. It’s to end malaria deaths in 2015, in 2016, in 2017 and so on. Our goal is to reach a day when no one is dying from the bite of a malarial mosquito, ever again.

Yesterday, the British medical journal The Lancet published encouraging new numbers on global child mortality.

On average, death rates have dropped by about 2 percent a year from 1990 to 2010. Although too many children will die this year—7.7 million worldwide–this represents is a huge reduction from the staggering 11.9 million child deaths in 1990.

In addition to this incredible drop, the authors of the study point out another amazing data point: that the reduction of childhood deaths is in fact accelerating. Health experts say the figures mean that global efforts to save children’s lives have started working, better and faster than expected.

There are several diverse factors that can lead to child mortality: one, unquestionable, is malaria. However, as access to mosquito nets, spraying and medicines has increased, 10 African countries have reduced malaria deaths by more than 50%.

In addition, there is evidence from large decreases in malaria cases and deaths in Zanzibar, Zambia and Sao Tome and Principe have been mirrored by steep declines in all-cause deaths among children less than 5 years of age, suggesting that intensive efforts at malaria control could help many African countries to reach, by 2015, a two-thirds reduction in child mortality as set forth in the MDGs (source: 2009 WHO World Malaria Report).

We have a lot of work to do, to end malaria deaths and reduce child mortality across Africa. But today looks better than yesterday and we have the tools and the momentum to make tomorrow better than today. We hope you’ll join us.

Read the full Lancet report here.

Our friends at GOOD Magazine and Vestergaard-Frandsen have compiled everything you need to know about the malaria outbreak a few weeks ago in West Canton, California. Check out the footage here:

In a new study, researchers found that Gorillas carry malaria. This is good news for humans because now gorillas could aid us in developing a malaria vaccine. However, this is also bad news for humans because gorillas could aid in the malaria infection rate.

Scientist tested gorillas in Cameroon and Gabon and found the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum present, which was previously believed to only infect humans. This is trouble because Plasmodium falciparum is the deadliest of the malaria strains and prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa.

Although this may make malaria eradication even trickier, the best way to deal with malaria is to prevent it entirely with tools such as anti-malarial mosquito nets.

The World Health Organization’s 2009 World Malaria Report shows promising progress in the global effort to end malaria deaths. Between 2006 and 2008, 140 million mosquito nets were distributed across Africa and the results are beginning to show the impact.

By continuing to build momentum and focus energy on ridding Africa of malaria, we can reach our goal of providing universal access to malaria control interventions by December 31, 2010 and ending malaria deaths by 2015.

Some noteworthy facts:

• Malaria Death Reductions: More than 9 malaria-endemic African countries have documented reductions in malaria cases of more than 50% in 2008 compared to 2000.
• Net Ownership: 31% of African households now own at least one insecticide-treated mosquito net, up from only 17% in 2006.
• Increased Funding: International funding commitments for malaria control have increased from $730 million in 2006 to $1.7 billion in 2009, largely thanks to the Global Fund, the US President’s Malaria Initiative, the World Bank and others.
• Universal Coverage: In 2008, 23 African countries adopted the goal of providing mosquito nets for all people at risk of malaria.
• A Promising Trend: After aggressive malaria control efforts, childhood deaths from all causes declined in Zambia, Sao Tome and Principe and Zanzibar.

Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Malaria, Ray Chambers, commended the findings of the report today, saying:

“Thanks to unprecedented levels of funding and extraordinary collaboration among partners, the malaria community has achieved remarkable progress. As we mark the 12-month countdown to the Secretary-General’s December-2010 deadline for universal access to malaria-control interventions, this report confirms that we are on the path to defeating this disease.”

Read the Special Envoy’s full statement here.

The results are encouraging—but there is still a lot of work to do. Malaria No More thanks every one of our supporters for helping us provide mosquito nets so that African families can protect themselves and their children from the deadly bite of a malarial mosquito. But we’re not done yet. Together with individuals across the US, Africa and the world, we must continue to fight the disease to make malaria no more for once and for all.

Read the WHO 2009 World Malaria Report here.

Help us cover Africa in mosquito nets! Through December 31, 2009, any donation to Malaria No More will be matched. Make your gift today!

Thanks to a marked increase in funding, African countries are absorbing billions of dollars for malaria control over the next few years to reach the 2010 universal coverage goal. It’s vital that these countries be equipped with the expertise and skills to build aggressive and effective action plans. To support countries in this effort, we’re working with MACEPA to conduct regional training workshops with National Malaria Control Programs from 32 different African countries. Led by the Alliance for Malaria Prevention (AMP), the workshops provide an opportunity for countries to share best practices, get advice from African and international experts and create strategies for implementing, monitoring and evaluating mass bed-net distribution campaigns.

Last month, we attended the AMP Logistics Training Workshop in Nairobi, Kenya. We collected the materials presented there to aide logisticians, those working with/or as principal recipients, country partners, and external logistics resource persons implementing mosquito net distributions, which currently live on our Website for your convenience.

AMP is sponsored by ExxonMobile, MACEPA, Malaria No More and Roll Back Malaria Partnership.

Be sure to tune in tonight to the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. The team traveled to Tanzania over the summer to learn about the country’s aggressive efforts to fight malaria, what the US President’s Malaria Initiative is up to, and the latest on vaccine trials in the south of the country.

Tonight, they present their findings about how Tanzania is winning the fight against malaria.

Read more about the program and get a sneak peek here.

Ray Chambers, the United Nations Special Envoy for Malaria, released the following statement upon the publication of the Declaration of Responsible Leadership for A Sustainable Future, set forth by G8 leaders this week at their meeting in Italy.

“At a critical moment in the global campaign against malaria, the G8’s reaffirmation of its commitment to fighting the disease adds greatly appreciated momentum to our collective efforts. 

“I look forward to continuing to work with the governments on fulfilling their 2008 pledge to supply 100 million lifesaving mosquito nets, so that together we can meet Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s goal of the universal provision of malaria control interventions by December 31, 2010. 

“In particular, I wish to thank the G8 for its recognition of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance, an organization that will prove absolutely essential in our shared mission to end deaths from this disease.”

Also, be sure to check out Ray’s guest blog post at the Millennium Villages Blog, entitled “Nigerian Mosquito Net Deliveries Protect Millions from Malaria“.

We thank Ray for his leadership and vision in the fight against malaria! For more information, please visit www.malariaenvoy.com.

The Telegraph (UK) reports today that the Galapagos giant tortoise—the symbolic and much-beloved animal of the Galapagos islands—may be at risk of malaria brought to the islands by tourists.

A new study by the University of Leeds and Zoological Society of London explains that the risk has been increased because, while mainland generally mosquitoes prefer the blood of mammals and birds, on Galapagos the insect has shifted its behaviour to feed mainly on reptiles.

Hang on, though…human malaria can’t spread to animals, nor vice-versa. So it seems like either (a) a malaria-carrying mosquito itself would need to hop a plane to the islands for a little R&R or (b) an animal already carrying the malaria parasite would go to visit relatives and all heck would break loose!!

Either way, my advice to Lonesome George, the only surviving Galapagos giant tortoise is to stay Lonesome and not open the door to anyone you don’t know!