Diligence will be needed to sustain momentum and reach the ultimate goal of elimination
SEATTLE, WA – December 13, 2016 – The annual World Malaria Report, released today by the World Health Organization (WHO), affirms that remarkable progress has been made to date in the fight against malaria across the globe. Malaria mortality rates have declined by 62 percent globally between 2000 and 2015 and by 29 percent between 2010 and 2015. The report also underscores that an increase in funding, further investments in vector control interventions, and outpacing resistance to malaria drugs and insecticides are crucial to sustaining momentum.
Among all populations at risk of malaria in Africa, where 92 percent of all malaria cases occurred in 2015, the use of insecticide-treated bed nets increased by 80 percent between 2010 and 2015. Additionally, during the past five years the number of pregnant women who receive intermittent preventive treatment, which can help prevent mother and child deaths and adverse effects of malaria during pregnancy, increased five-fold in 36 African countries. The report also showed that in 23 sub-Saharan African countries, 51 percent of children under the age of 5 with a fever received a malaria diagnostic test in 2015.
“Sub-Saharan African children and pregnant women, the most vulnerable populations in the world to malaria, now have greater access to lifesaving tools than at any other time in history,” said Martin Edlund, CEO of Malaria No More. “Smart investments to fight malaria are saving more lives than ever, but more must be done to meet our short- and long-term goals.”
The report found that in 2015, there were 212 million new cases of malaria and 429,000 malaria-related deaths worldwide. Furthermore, an estimated 43 percent of the population in sub-Saharan Africa was not protected by bed nets or indoor spraying, the two primary malaria vector control methods, during 2015. However, 19 of 91 malaria-affected countries had fewer than 1,000 malaria cases in the past year, demonstrating strong potential to achieve the target of at least 10 countries eliminating malaria by 2020.
“We’ve made tremendous gains in our fight to eliminate malaria, and the goal of a world where no child dies from a mosquito bite is within our reach, but the most challenging years may lie ahead of us,” said Edlund. “Mobilizing adequate domestic and international funding, sustaining country leadership, strengthening health systems, and developing and deploying new tools are needed to eliminate malaria for good.”
The full World Malaria Report is available at this link.
About Malaria No More
Malaria No More envisions a world where no child dies of a mosquito bite. We mobilize the political will and global resources required to achieve malaria eradication within our generation. We use a highly targeted, proven advocacy model to elevate malaria on the global agenda and translate political support into funding.
