Pregnant women and young children still at grave risk from malaria
The World Health Organization’s World Malaria Report 2019 released today highlights some impressive gains in the fight against the deadly disease. For instance, an estimated 228 million cases of malaria occurred worldwide, compared with 251 million cases in 2010 and global malaria deaths fell to 405,000 in 2018 from 585,000 in 2010. In the 31 countries, where malaria is still endemic, case incidence significantly decreased and on-track to reduce incidence by 40% or more by 2020.
Nineteen countries in sub-Saharan Africa and India carried almost 85% of the global malaria burden. Six countries accounted for more than half of all malaria cases worldwide: Nigeria (25%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (12%), Uganda (5%), and Côte d’Ivoire, Mozambique and Niger (4% each).
Progress in malaria-eliminating countries
Paraguay and Uzbekistan were awarded WHO certification of elimination in 2018, with Algeria and Argentina achieving certification in early 2019. In 2018, China, El Salvador, Iran, Malaysia and Timor-Leste reported zero indigenous cases. In the six countries of the Greater Mekong subregion (GMS) — Cambodia, China (Yunnan Province), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam — the reported number of malaria cases fell by 76% between 2010 and 2018, and malaria deaths fell by 95% over the same period. In 2018, Cambodia reported no malaria related deaths for the first time in the country’s history.
Women and children — hardest hit by malaria
The report also shows that the scourge of malaria continues to strike hardest against pregnant women and young children in Africa so countries must double their efforts to protect these most at-risk groups. In 2018, an estimated 11 million pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa were infected with malaria. Malaria infection during pregnancy can lead to anaemia in the mother, which can result in complications in pregnancy, premature birth and a low-birth-weight child. Children who are born preterm or with a low birth weight are at a very high risk of dying in their first few weeks of life. Even when a healthy child is born, malaria infection in children can lead to severe malaria and, very often in the highest burden countries, severe malaria anaemia, which also puts the child at greater risk of death. Globally, children account for nearly 70% of malaria-related deaths.
Inadequate funding remains a major barrier
Progress has also slowed, and key holes remain in the battle plan. The single biggest threat in the fight against malaria, of course, remains funding. For instance: 2018 malaria funding was $2 billion short of the $5 billion global funding target.
To address that massive gap, people at risk of malaria must have access to primary care to diagnose, treat and prevent the disease. While the global community has done an excellent job in ensuring that funding is maintained — the recent replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was the single largest replenishment in the Fund’s history, for example — financing levels for malaria remain relatively flat.
