Fight against malaria continues

A recent study published by the British medical journal the Lancet shows that more than a million people died from malaria in 2010, which is drastically higher than the World Health Organization’s estimate that just under 700,000 died from the disease.


“One important finding is that the proportions of deaths in children under five because of malaria are much, much higher than previously thought,” said Professor Rifat Atun, one of the directors of the Global Fund to fight Aids, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. “Rather than 16%, it’s actually one quarter of child deaths. If we want to reduce child mortality, we need to get malaria right.”


In spite of the high mortality rate, the study’s findings in fact indicate that the initiatives to combat this disease are working.

“Given that our investments work, our interventions work, we need to scale these up to save even more lives,” Dr. Atun said.

Listen to the full interview by Ann Schneible with Dr. Atun: