TBD
WHO Malaria report 2009
The World Health Organization says increased financial support for the global campaign against malaria was beginning to pay off with measurable reductions in the disease burden.
Child sleeping under bed net
In its latest World Malaria Report, WHO says at least 38 countries where malaria is endemic have reported a 50 per cent reduction in malaria cases over the last 8 years. Patrick Maigua Reports from Geneva.
The World Health Organization says global funding for Malaria control rose to 1.7 billion dollars in 2009 compared to 730 million dollars in 2006. Although far short of the 5 billion dollars required annually, WHO says the increase has allowed a dramatic scale up of malaria control interventions including the delivery of insecticide treated bed nets. According to WHO, household ownership of insecticide treated bed nets has reached more than 50 per cent in at least 13 African countries, where the incidence of malaria is high. Dr. Robert Newman is the Director of the Global Malaria Programme at WHO.
"In countries and areas that have achieved high coverage with bed nets and treatments, such as Eritrea, Rwanda, Sao Tome, Zambia and the Island of Zanzibar in the United Republic of Tanzania, recorded cases and deaths due to malaria have fallen by 50 per cent or more demonstrating that the Millennium Development Goal target for malaria can be achieved, if there is adequate coverage with malaria control interventions. While there is reason to celebrate these successes in malaria control, there are potential threats emerging that require urgent attention. Among the most important threats to global Malaria control are the parasite resistance to anti-malarial drugs and mosquito resistance to insecticides. Confirmation of artemisinin resistance was reported in 2009, and WHO is leading a major resistance containment effort in South East Asia along with a number of partners."
WHO says half of the world's population is at risk of malaria. In 2008, 243 million malaria cases were reported worldwide. Out of the 863,000 malaria deaths reported, nearly 90 per cent were from Africa.
Patrick Maigua, United Nations Radio Geneva
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