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Substantial progress achieved in global malaria control: WHO

Xinhua, December 9, 2015 Adjust font size:

Substantial progress has been achieved against malaria since 2000 due to the massive deployment of effective and low-cost malaria control interventions, according to a new report released on Wednesday by World Health Organization (WHO).

The new report, titled "World Malaria Report 2015", said more than half (57) of the 106 countries with malaria in 2000 had achieved reductions in new malaria cases of least 75 percent by 2015. In that same time frame, 18 countries reduced their malaria cases by 50 to 75 percent.

Since 2000, malaria incidence and death rates have fallen by 37 percent and 60 percent respectively around the world. Among children under five, malaria death rates have declined by 65 percent. An estimated 6.2 million deaths have been averted since 2000.

The report highlighted the malaria related Millennium Development Goals, which aimed to halt and reverse the global incidence of malaria between 2000 and 2015, has been achieved. Substantial progress has also been made towards the 2005 World Health Assembly target of a 75 percent reduction in the global burden of malaria by 2015.

In the WHO African Region, where suffered most malaria cases (88 percent) and deaths (90 percent) in the world, there have been impressive gains. Over the last 15 years, malaria mortality rates fell by 66 percent among all age groups, and by 71 percent among children under five, a population particularly susceptible to the disease.

However, the report noted despite progress, significant challenges remain. Globally about 3.2 billion people - nearly half of the world's population - are at risk of malaria. In 2015, there were estimated 214 million new cases of malaria, and approximately 438,000 deaths.

"As the global burden of malaria declines, new challenges have emerged," said Dr Pedro Alonso, Director of the WHO Global Malaria Program. "In many countries, progress is threatened by the rapid development and spread of mosquito resistance to insecticides. Drug resistance could also jeopardize recent gains in malaria control." Endit