On World Malaria Day, UN officials push for near zero preventable deaths

April 26, 2014: The tide has turned on malaria, with mortality rates for children in Africa down by half, but a stronger surveillance system is urgently needed to prevent new outbreaks and resurgences, United Nations officials today warned, marking the sixth annual World Malaria Day.
“We must stay focused until the job is done,” said Ray Chambers, UN Special Envoy for Malaria. “The world has an ethical obligation to continue to protect the hundreds of millions of children who have slept safely under a bed net and who have had access to treatment.”
Child deaths from malaria declined from one million in 2008 to under 500,000 thanks to a community of malaria supporters who delivered nearly 44 million long-lasting mosquito nets in the first-quarters of this year alone, Mr. Chambers said.
In his remarks on the Day, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: “While we applaud progress to date, we must confront the fact that malaria still kills more than half a million people every year. Too many cases still go untested, unregistered and untreated.”