Washington, D.C., April 25, 2024 – As we celebrate World Malaria Day 2024, Malaria No More commends the incredible progress made by the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), as outlined in its newly released 18th Annual Report to Congress.
Despite current escalating threats, like drug resistance, climate change and the spread of the Anopheles stephensi mosquito, this year’s report details the advances PMI and partners have made to combat malaria since 2000, including:
- 11.7 million lives saved
- 2.1 billion cases prevented
- 29% decline in malaria case rates
- 48% decline in malaria death rates
Even with cases of malaria on the rise in 2022, death rates in PMI partner countries fell to around pre-pandemic levels (52.8 deaths per 100,000). Thanks to the bipartisan support of Congress, PMI benefited over 700 million people in Fiscal Year 2023, delivering 36.8 million mosquito nets, protecting 4.2 million homes with insecticide spraying, and providing 102.7 million rapid diagnostic tests.
“Enormous progress is being made in the face of daunting challenges,” said David Walton, U.S. Global Malaria Coordinator. “Our work shows countries around the world that the United States is an essential partner, a partner that helps tackle complex and difficult problems such as malaria, a partner who cares. By strengthening global health security, PMI is making the world safer and more equitable for everyone, including Americans.”
Despite continued and generous contributions from the U.S. government, global funding to combat malaria has plateaued since 2010. At the same time, the population vulnerable to malaria has nearly doubled.
“We have come a long way in the last two decades, but our hard-fought gains are now at risk,” said Martin Edlund, Malaria No More CEO. “This World Malaria Day, we applaud PMI for continued progress and innovation in the face of increasing challenges. Now is the moment to close the global malaria funding gap for scaling new tools, including game-changing malaria vaccines, to end malaria in our lifetime.”
Malaria No More looks forward to continuing to work with both Congress and the Administration to protect the gains of the past two decades and build stronger and resilient health systems for our future.
For more on the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative and PMI’s 18th Annual Report, visit pmi.gov.
###
For more information or interview requests, please contact Mindy Mizell at mindy.mizell@malarianomore.org
About Malaria No More
Malaria No More envisions a world where no one dies from a mosquito bite. Fifteen years into our mission, our work has contributed to historic progress toward this goal. Now, we’re mobilizing the political commitment, funding, and innovation required to achieve what would be one of the greatest humanitarian accomplishments – ending malaria within our generation. For more information, visit www.malarianomore.org.
