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On World Malaria Day, the World Health Organization calls on countries to step up the fight against malaria, saying the coronavirus pandemic threatens to reverse significant progress made in efforts to control this deadly disease.
Since 2000, the UN World Health Organization reports that 1.5 billion cases of malaria have been prevented worldwide and 7.6 million deaths averted. Some of the greatest achievements were in sub-Saharan Africa, which suffers the brunt of this deadly mosquito-borne disease.
In addition, the director of the WHO Global Malaria Program, Pedro Alonso, said that 21 countries have eliminated malaria in the last two decades. Of these, he says that 10 have been officially certified as malaria-free by the WHO.
“That means that more than half of all endemic countries in the world are within reach of elimination,” said Alonso. “At the beginning of the century, three countries had fewer than 10 cases per year. Now, we have 24 countries, which are literally one step away from elimination.”
However, despite notable progress, the World Health Organization reports that global progress has leveled off in recent years. This is due to insufficient funds and lack of access to proven malaria control tools, such as insecticide-treated nets and preventive medications for children.
The emergence of the coronavirus pandemic now poses an additional challenge to the response to malaria. WHO’s regional director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, said that the progress made in Africa over many years against poverty and disease risk is being reversed by the virus responsible for the COVID-19 disease.
“Malaria already causes a 1.3 percent loss in Africa’s economic growth every year,” Moeti said. “And we know that the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to push Sub-Saharan Africa into recession for the first time in 25 years. This incredibly challenging situation requires a renewed commitment to sustaining and accelerating the progress that has been made in the fight against malaria.. “
Moeti noted that malaria continues to kill many more people than diseases like COVID-19 and Ebola.
In 2019, the WHO reported that the global count of malaria cases was 229 million, including more than 400,000 deaths. He said that 90 percent of these cases and deaths occurred in the African region. Most of the victims were children.
The UN health agency reports that global funding for malaria last year amounted to $ 3 billion. This is well below the $ 5.6 billion needed to roll back malaria.
