Malaria death rates see 60% fall since 2000

Target – shows that the malaria MDG target to “have halted and begun to reverse the incidence” of malaria by 2015, has been met “convincingly”, with new malaria cases dropping by 37 per cent in 15 years.

The number of nations that are close to completely eradicating malaria is increasing.

The report, which was produced jointly by the United Nations children’s agency (UNICEF) and World Health Organization (WHO), found that in 2000 an estimated 262 million cases of malaria resulted in the deaths of 840,000.

However, malaria remains an “acute public health problem”, according to UNICEF.

To measure the impact of dams, the team of five researchers plotted the locations of 1 268 dams in sub-Saharan African and then compared the locations with health records showing active malaria cases. “So the best way to celebrate global progress in the fight against it is to recommit ourselves to reaching and treating them”, said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake.

An estimated 3.2 billion people, or almost half of the world’s population, remain at risk of malaria.

The former health minister said there is an urgent need to bring a wide range of expertise to the table to develop solutions to delivering malaria services on the ground with same coverage, precision, and urgency with which we deliver a bottle of Coke.

Children under five account for more than two-thirds of all malaria deaths.

The funding to eradicate malaria skyrocketed tremendous progress as the global bilateral and multilateral funds, rising by 20-fold beginning in 2000.

But she also called on governments of the countries worst affected to boost their own efforts.

More than 80 percent of all malaria cases are still reported in Africa, with 78 percent of deaths occurring in the continent.

ITNs can be accounted for 68% of malaria case prevention.

Britain has been one of the leading proponents of bed nets and Justine Greening, the minister for global development, promised Thursday that London would continue to invest in programmes “to end malaria once and for all”.

“The increased use of Rapid Diagnostic Tests has made it easier to distinguish between malaria and non-malaria fevers, enabling timely and appropriate treatment”. Artemisinin-based combination therapy or ACT contributed to 22 percent of the downfall while 10 percent was attributed to insecticide sprays in homes.