Top stories for World Malaria Day 2020
According to WHO, 228 million cases of malaria were reported worldwide in 2018, including 405,000 deaths. In that same year, $2.7 billion was spent on resources to combat malaria.
In 2019, Ghana, Malawi and Kenya rolled out the first malaria vaccine via a WHO pilot program. For this year’s World Malaria Day, WHO will join the Roll Back Malaria Partnership to End Malaria to promote “Zero malaria starts with me” — a campaign meant to mobilize malaria resources, empower communities to utilize malaria prevention and care and keep malaria as a priority on the political agenda.
In honor of World Malaria Day, Infectious Disease News brings you a list of the top malaria stories from the past year. – by Eamon Dreisbach
WHO estimates malaria deaths could double because of interruptions caused by COVID-19
A WHO modeling analysis predicts that interruptions to antimalarial medicines and disruptions to insecticide-treated net campaigns because of COVID-19 may double the number of malaria deaths across sub-Saharan Africa this year compared with 2018. The analysis takes nine unique scenarios into account across 41 countries. Read more.
Global report shows again that progress against malaria has slowed
According to the annual World Malaria Report from 2019, progress toward malaria eradication has slowed in recent years, with no improvement in infection rates in countries with the highest disease burden. Several experts have called for increased action to support children and pregnant women, the groups most at risk for infection. Read more.
Climate change: A growing threat to children’s health
WHO estimates that climate change will cause an additional 250,000 deaths per year from 2030 to 2050, 60,000 of which will occur as a result of malaria. Malaria killed more than 400,000 people in 2018 alone, the majority of whom were African children aged 5 years or younger. Read more.
Study: Malaria eradication achievable by 2050
A 2019 report published in The Lancet estimated that malaria eradication is achievable by 2050. Researchers conducted an epidemiological analysis to illustrate future changes in malaria’s distribution and intensity based on global trends, malaria burden and interventions from the past 2 decades. Read more.
New chemical formulation fights resistance in malaria bed nets
Study results presented at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Annual Meeting in 2019 showed that long-lasting insecticidal nets augmented with piperonyl butoxide were more effective in reducing the prevalence of malaria compared with conventional nets treated only with pyrethroid. The study examined parasite prevalence in more than 23,000 children aged 2 to 10 years old. Read more.
Malaria antigens found in breast milk of asymptomatic mothers
A JAMA Pediatrics study revealed that more than 15% of breast milk samples from mothers with asymptomatic malaria contain malaria antigens. The study also showed that blood levels of malaria antigens may indicate levels in breast milk. Read more.
Reference:
WHO. Malaria. https://www.who.int/malaria/en/. Accessed April 23, 2020.