In 2020, 627,000 people died of malaria globally, higher than the 558,000 deaths recorded in 2019.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on December 6 that the focus of resources used to combat the global COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on other health protection programs. Including: Including malaria.
Compared with 2019, the number of deaths from malaria in 2020 has increased by 69,000.
In 2020, 627,000 people will die of malaria globally, higher than the 558,000 deaths recorded in 2019.
Most malaria deaths are concentrated in young children in the poorest areas of Africa.
[The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization approves US$155 million to deploy a malaria vaccine in Africa]
It is worth noting that the number of deaths from malaria in 2020 is even much higher than the 224,000 deaths caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa since the outbreak.
Approximately two-thirds of the increase in deaths in 2020 is related to the limitations of malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the WHO report pointed out that without the urgent and diligent efforts of the public health authorities of countries affected by malaria, the number of deaths from the disease in Africa would be huge. As previously predicted by the WHO, by 2020, this number may double.
Experts hope that once the RTS, S or Mosquirix vaccine developed by the British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline is widely used, the fight against malaria can make positive progress. For children. I am in Africa.
Since entering the 21st century, the world has made great strides in fighting malaria. As of 2017, the number of annual cases has fallen by 27%, and the number of deaths has fallen by more than 50%.
However, in the years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, the decline was not significant.
The situation in sub-Saharan Africa is also very bad. This region accounts for 95% of global malaria cases and 96% of malaria deaths, with 80% of deaths occurring in children. Children under 5 years old.
