Malaria cases of and deaths
In 2008, there were an estimated 243 million cases of malaria worldwide. The majority of cases were in the WHO African Region (85%), followed by the WHO South-East Asia Region (10%) and the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region (4%). Malaria accounted for an estimated 863 000 deaths in 2008, of which 89% were in the WHO African Region, followed by the WHO Eastern Mediterranean (6%) and South-East Asia (5%) regions. The majority (85%) of deaths were in children under five years of age.
The goal established by Member States at the World Health Assembly and the Roll Back Malaria Partnership is to reduce the numbers of malaria cases and deaths recorded in 2000 by 50% or more by the end of 2010 and by 75% or more by 2015. According to recent estimates, more than one third of the 108 malarious countries (9 African and 29 outside of Africa) documented reductions in cases of malaria of at least 50% in 2008 compared with 2000. In countries that have achieved high population coverage with insecticide-treated bednets (ITNs) and case management, recorded cases and deaths due to malaria have fallen by 50%, suggesting that MDG targets can be achieved if there is adequate coverage of key interventions. While these results were observed in a number of island settings (Sao Tome and Principe and Zanzibar, United Republic of Tanzania), similar results have been observed in countries on the African mainland, including Eritrea, Rwanda, and Zambia. There is evidence from Sao Tome and Principe, Zanzibar and Zambia that large decreases in malaria cases and deaths have been mirrored by steep declines in all-cause mortality among children less than 5 years old, suggesting that intensive efforts at malaria control could help many African countries to reach the MDG4 target of a two-thirds reduction in child mortality by 2015.