As per the WHO’s World Malaria Report 2016, children and pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa have greater admission to effective malaria control. Malaria is still an acute public health problem, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
According to the report, there were 212 million new cases of malaria and 429 000 deaths worldwide in 2015. Almost 78% of Plasmodium vivax malaria cases in 2015 occurred in just four countries: Ethiopia, India, Indonesia and Pakistan.
WHO had set a goal of cutting malaria cases to “near zero” by the end of last year but this programme is in vein because of funding crisis.
The use of insecticide-treated nets has expanded rapidly among all populations at risk of malaria. WHO recommends "intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy" (IPTp) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine to protect women in areas of moderate and high malaria transmission in Africa.
Last month, WHO announced that the world’s first malaria vaccine would be rolled out through pilot projects in 3 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Vaccinations will begin 2018. The vaccine, known as RTS,S, acts against P. falciparum, the most deadly malaria parasite globally, and the most prevalent in Africa. Advanced clinical trials have shown RTS,S to provide partial protection against malaria in young children.
News Source: WHO Mediupdates
Image Source: Getty
Read More: Health News
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