On the 30th local time, WHO released the latest World Malaria Report. The report shows that 21 countries have eliminated malaria in the past 20 years, and 10 of them have been officially certified malaria-free by WHO.
But the lack of tools to deal with malaria is undermining global efforts to contain the disease, and the COVID-19 “pandemic” will further hinder the human fight against malaria.
WHO calls on countries and partners to strengthen the fight against malaria, a preventable and treatable disease that kills hundreds of thousands of people every year and requires better responses and new tools, as well as increased funding to meet the desired goals.
WHO estimates that the total number of malaria cases worldwide reached 229 million last year, and this data has changed little in the past four years. 409,000 people died of malaria last year, compared with 411,000 in 18 years. Over 90% of the world’s malaria cases in the past few years have come from the African region.
Since 2000, malaria deaths in the African region have decreased by 44%, but progress has been slow in recent years. The total funding for malaria response in 2019 reached $3 billion against the target of $5.6 billion.
The shortage of funds led to a serious lack of malaria control tools.
