In 2019, 229 million cases were confirmed across the globe, a figure virtually unchanged four years ago. Disease killed 409,000 last year with Angola and Mozambique among the countries most affected
In a statement, WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said that “it is time for leaders from across Africa, and the world, to once again face the challenge of malaria, just as they did when they laid the foundation for progress made since the beginning of this century. ” In 2000, African leaders signed the Abuja Declaration, promising to cut malaria deaths on the continent in half over a 10-year period. Political commitment, along with medical innovations and an increase in funding, created an unprecedented period of success in controlling the disease.
According to the report, 1.5 billion cases and 7.6 million deaths have been prevented since 2000. Last year, there were 229 million cases worldwide, an estimate that has hardly changed in 4 years. Still in 2019, the disease killed 409,000 people, 2,000 fewer than the previous year.
Africa continues to have more than 90% of malaria cases. Since 2000, the region has reduced the number of deaths by 44%, from 680,000 to 384,000, but progress has slowed in recent years.
Angola and Mozambique are on the list of most affected nations. Mozambique accounts for 4% of total cases and deaths worldwide, while Angola accounts for 3%. The financing deficit is a threat in this struggle. In 2019, US $ 3 billion was raised, when the target was US $ 5.6 billion.
The agency is promoting the “High Load For High Impact” initiative, launched in 2018, which advocates personalized responses, based on local data and information. The program is already being used in 11 countries responsible for 70% of the cases of the disease worldwide, including Mozambique. A recent analysis from Nigeria, for example, found that by using a combination of interventions, tens of millions of cases and deaths could be avoided by the year 2023.
