Malaria kills more than previously thought

Malaria kills more than previously thought 06/02/2012

Malaria kills twice as many people as scientists believed in studies last year, according to new research on one of the world's most deadly diseases. 1.2 million people died from malaria in 2010, almost double the figure of 655 000, initially estimated in the World Malaria Report.

The new research, published in the Lancet medical journal and carried out by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), has reanalysed and subsequently challenged 30 years of facts and figures. Dr Christopher Murray and colleagues meticulously collected data on the disease between 1980 and 2010 and measured mortalities in countries where deaths are not typically recorded.

The study also contests the formerly accepted belief that malaria mostly affects babies and very young children, with reason to believe that 42% of cases were in children older than 5 years old and adults.

The UN aim of eliminating malaria by 2015 now seems unlikely. However, the research does confirm a downward trend, with the death toll reaching its peak in 2004 at 1.8 million.

Thought now turns to what action should be taken; present strategies include handing out insecticide-impregnated bed nets to protect people from mosquitos carrying malaria parasites and distributing anti-malarials. Some of these drugs, on the other hand, no longer work in many areas, as the parasite has developed resistance to them. The Department for International Development stated that they must begin by "strengthening health information systems to better monitor progress and target interventions."

The editorial team.

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