World Malaria Day, 25 April 2017

Malaria prevention: let’s close the gap

24 April 2017 – On World Malaria Day, WHO is calling for closing gaps in coverage of lifesaving malaria prevention tools. While these tools have played a pivotal role in reducing malaria cases and deaths, they are still not available to many who need them. An estimated 43% of people at risk of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to an insecticide-treated net or indoor residual spraying of insecticides.

WHO/Sven Torfinn

Papua New Guinea has made major strides against malaria

20 April 2017 -- Despite a rainy season that never ends, a limited infrastructure and near-inaccessible geography, Papua New Guinea has made major strides against malaria. Credit goes to its focus on preventive tools, including bednets. However, the path required to achieve the widespread use of this simple tool has been anything but simple.

WHO

Children under malaria bednets, Cambodia 2016

Malaria: retreat of a centuries-old scourge

24 April 2017 -- Energized in 2007 by a call for malaria eradication, the world united around a new agenda to control and eliminate this ancient scourge. Better drugs and diagnostics emerged, and WHO-driven policies led to free insecticide-treated bednets, prequalification of new drugs and treatment only after diagnosis to prevent drug resistance. Malaria deaths dropped 62% from 2000 to 2015, and WHO set an ambitious global technical strategy for malaria through 2030, built from the efforts of more than 400 experts from 70 countries.