Statement of B.F. (Lee) Hall, M.D., Ph.D., and Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases National Institutes of Health on World Malaria Day April 25, 2010
“This year, we commemorate World Malaria Day by celebrating recent advances in controlling malaria. At the same time, we acknowledge the urgency in meeting critical milestones if we are to eliminate and eventually eradicate the disease worldwide.
“Although significant strides have been made toward malaria control and the elimination of the disease from many regions, global eradication is a long-term goal that will require a sustained commitment. As we accomplish our goals, disease patterns may change and new problems will inevitably arise. It is important that we adapt to the changing circumstances that result from our successes and commit to a long-term effort.
“Today we enter the second year of the Global Malaria Action Plan, [http://www.rollbackmalaria.org/gmap/] developed by the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership, a global framework for coordinated action against malaria, [http://www.rollbackmalaria.org/], which set ambitious goals to control, eliminate and eradicate malaria. We continue to support the RBM campaign, Count Malaria Out, which strives to achieve the 2010 target of delivering effective and affordable protection and treatment to all people at risk of malaria and cutting the disease burden in half compared with 2000 levels. This target marks a critical milestone in achieving the Millennium Development Goal [http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/] set by the United Nations to halt the spread of malaria by 2015…
“…According to the World Health Organization, there were about 243 million cases of clinical malaria and 863,000 deaths in 2008. Most of the deaths occurred among children less than 5 years of age living in sub-Saharan Africa. Reducing the number malaria deaths to 500,000 by the end of this year and to near zero by 2015 will require a concerted effort engaging all stakeholders….
“…global eradication of malaria and even regional elimination may not be possible without the development of a safe, affordable and highly effective malaria vaccine…”
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