World Malaria Day 2011 is a time for examining the progress we have made towards malaria control and elimination and to renew efforts towards achieving the target of zero malaria deaths by 2015. We have come a long way towards realizing this goal since the first World Malaria Day four years ago, when it was estimated that a child died every 30 seconds of malaria. The huge increase in support for malaria control interventions in recent years means we can now acknowledge a reduction in the death rate; where once over a million people died of the disease annually, the figure is now closer to 790,000. This is progress and it shows that what we are doing is working. However we can’t afford to ease back until this number is zero, and this year everyone in the malaria community is discussing the remaining obstacles we face in the fight against malaria.
The mass distributions of long lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and their increasing availability in the private sector have made a dramatic impact on the number of malaria cases, however hundreds of thousands of people are still contracting malaria, and many of these people are unable to access appropriate and timely, treatment.
Every 45 seconds a child dies of malaria. Yet, malaria is 100% preventable and treatable, making all malaria deaths unacceptable. Nearly 90% of malaria deaths occur in Africa among children younger than 5 years old. That makes malaria the leading child-killer in Africa, accounting for 20% of all childhood deaths.
UNICEF is the world's largest provider of insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs), which help protect families from malaria. More bed nets and more global funding for malaria programs are helping reduce malaria in many countries. But far too few African children are receiving the Artemesinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) that can save lives, and far too many children are sleeping without the use of a lifesaving mosquito net. By supporting preventive actions, UNICEF and partners are working towards the day when zero children die from malaria.
Today, the world recognizes World Malaria Day – a day that will commemorate the global effort to eliminate malaria. Together, we can work to end this deadly, preventable child-killer, and bring us closer to the day when zero children die from preventable causes.
Today, the world recognizes World Malaria Day – a day that will commemorate the global effort to eliminate malaria. Together, we can work to end this deadly, preventable child-killer, and bring us closer to the day when zero children die from preventable causes.
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To support UNICEF, please visit: http://www.unicefusa.org/work/health/malaria/
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