Global funding gaps and slackness in the delivery of some live-saving commodities threaten to reverse the remarkable gains achieved in the prevention and control of malaria during the past decade, states the Global Malaria Report 2012. Released on December 17, 2012, the report highlights the progress made towards achieving global malaria targets and describes current challenges for control of the disease.
According to the report, an estimated US $ 5.1 billion is needed every year between 2011 and 2020 to achieve universal access to malaria interventions. In 2011, only US$ 2.3 billion was available, less than half of what is needed.
With reference to commodities, the report documents a decline in the number of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) delivered to endemic countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, expansion of indoor residual spraying programmes also leveled off, with coverage levels in the WHO African Region staying at 11% of the population at risk (77 million people) between 2010 and 2011.
According to the report, 50 countries around the world are on track to reduce their malaria case incidence rates by 75% by 2015 – in line with World Health Assembly and Roll Back Malaria targets. However, these 50 countries only represent 3%, or 7 million, of the malaria cases that were estimated to have occurred in 2000.
“Global targets for reducing the malaria burden will not be reached unless progress is accelerated in the highest burden countries,” says Dr. Robert Newman, Director of the WHO Global Malaria Programme in Geneva. “These countries are in a precarious situation and most of them need urgent financial assistance to procure and distribute life-saving commodities.”
The Executive Director of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership Dr. Fatoumata Nafo-Traoré believes fresh ideas on new financing mechanisms are urgently needed to prevent resurgence of malaria in some countries.
The report also calls for strengthening of malaria surveillance systems for timely and effective response, prevention of outbreaks and resurgences, and delivery of interventions to areas where they are most direly needed. At present, malaria surveillance systems detect only one-tenth of the estimated global number of cases. According to the report, it is not possible to make a reliable assessment of malaria in 41 countries including Pakistan due to incompleteness or inconsistency of reporting over time, this itself being a reminder that malaria continues to be a challenge in Pakistan.
The malaria burden is concentrated in 14 endemic countries, which account for an estimated 80% of malaria deaths. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria are the most affected countries in sub-Saharan Africa, while India is the most affected country in South-East Asia.
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