malaria prevention is giving results

This is a new nice story about prevention.  The U.N. health agency says the billions of dollars poured into the program have helped buy anti-malaria nets for almost 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa, and this has contributed to a drop of over 50 percent in malaria cases in 11 African countries. There are 106 countries in the world where malaria remains endemic. Forty-three of these countries are in sub-Saharan Africa, which is the heartland of malaria in terms of the number of cases and deaths and the severity of illness. Investment in malaria control brings results. After so many years of deterioration and stagnation in the malaria situation, countries and their development partners are now on the offensive.  In Africa, the distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets has increased dramatically.

In less than three years, the number of nets distributed has come close to the target of 350 million set in 2008. Also in Africa, the number of people protected by indoor residual spraying of insecticides rose 6-fold, from less than 13 million in 2005 to 75 million in 2009. In addition, worldwide, the number of ACT  treatment courses procured (Artemisinin-based combination therapies, i.e. the most effective antimalarial drugs) increased from just over 11 million in 2005 to 158 million in 2009. Such massive increases in the delivery of interventions produced in eleven of Africa’s 43 endemic countries reductions of greater than 50% in either confirmed malaria cases or deaths over the past decade.

Malaria is an extremely complex disease that has been causing deaths and social disruption since the beginning of recorded human history. This is the first time in the history of these countries that reported new cases or deaths are decreasing.