The World Health Organisation’s 2013 World Malaria Report brings momentous news: 3.3 million lives have been saved since 2000, mainly young children. Deaths from malaria have also been dramatically cut – globally death rates have been reduced by 45% and in Africa by 49%.
Increased political commitment and rapid growth of malaria investments since 2000 have delivered these high impact results which are transformational for the lives of children: Child deaths rates in Africa have been cut by more than half (54%).
UK leadership plays a pivotal role in driving the global malaria campaign and is essential to maintaining future momentum. In November 2013, the Government announced a record pledge to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria - this support has the power to save a life every three minutes and for malaria to deliver 32 million more insecticide-treated nets to prevent the transmission of malaria.
However the report highlights that much more needs to be done – a child still dies every minute from malaria and millions still lack access to essential diagnosis and treatment. Global malaria and development experts have shared their views including:
Ray Chambers, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Financing the Health Millennium Development Goals and for Malaria: “Investments in malaria control, mostly since 2007, have paid off tremendously. More than 3 million children are alive today as a result. There is simply no greater return on investment than those lives saved.”
Justine Greening, Secretary of State for International Development: “Every year, millions of people around the world still lose loved ones to malaria. Even survivors are held back by weeks of illness where they are unable to care for their families, go to school or earn a living. This is not only a tragedy for them and their families, but it also acts as a deadweight on economic growth through the developing world. The fact that we have helped to almost halve the number of people dying from malaria shows that we are on the right path, and the UK will stay at the forefront of the global effort to eventually eliminate this dreadful disease.”
Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General: “This remarkable progress is no cause for complacency: absolute numbers of malaria cases and deaths are not going down as fast as they could”.
James Whiting, Executive Director, Malaria No More UK “This report shows extraordinary results for the global malaria campaign. We’re edging closer to the day when no child anywhere dies from malaria. The UK’s leadership has proved pivotal in this endeavour and now we have the opportunity to be the generation that ends suffering and deaths from the biggest killer disease in the history. There is not a moment to spare, a child dies every minute from this entirely preventable disease which costs less than £1 to treat”.