WHO: Malaria Deaths Nearly Halved Since 2000
Published at
Napat_Polchoke/iStock/Thinkstock(GENEVA) — The World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Tuesday that the number of cases of malaria worldwide are steadily declining, and the malaria mortality rate has dropped by 47 percent worldwide between 2000 and 2013.
“We can win the fight against malaria,” Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the WHO said. “We have the right tools and our defences are working. But we still need to get those tools to a lot more people if we are to make these gains sustainable.”
The international organization said that insecticide-treated bed nets were accessible for millions more people, including nearly half of all people at risk in sub-Saharan Africa. By the end of 2014, the WHO expects 214 million bed nets to be delivered to endemic countries in Africa.
Testing has also become more accessible in recent years, the organization says.
Two countries — Azerbaijan and Sri Lanka — reported having zero indigenous cases of malaria for the first time ever. Eleven more maintained zero cases and four reported fewer than 10 cases.
Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio