World Malaria Report 2013

Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) released the World Malaria Report 2013. It highlights major progress in reducing malaria cases and deaths worldwide.

Here are the top five things you need to know about the report:

1. Global efforts to control and eliminate malaria have saved an estimated 3.3 million lives since 2000. 

2. Estimated malaria mortality rates worldwide fell by 45% since 2000, and by 51% in children under 5 years of age.

3. Increased political commitment and expanded funding have helped to reduce the incidence of malaria by 29% globally, and by 31% in Africa.

4. The proportion of households in sub-Saharan Africa who own at least one life-saving bed net increased steadily, from 3% in 2000 to 56% in 2012. The most dramatic increase occurred between 2005 and 2010.

5. An estimated 3.4 billion people are at risk of malaria in almost one hundred countries, so access to live-saving prevention tools, such as mosquito nets, and effective treatments are critical to maintaining progress against the disease. 

You can learn more about the strides that have been made in malaria prevention in the full report.  Huge progress has been made, but now is the time to do more, not less. In Africa, a child still dies every 60 seconds from this disease. Learn how you can get involved by joining Team Bzzzkill.