Malaria down but big challenges remain: WHO
Washington:
The fight against malaria has saved 3.3 million lives worldwide since 2000 but
the mosquito-borne disease still killed 627,000 people last year, mainly
children in Africa, the World Health Organization said today.
A
shortage of funding and basic remedies such as bed nets mean that malaria is
still a major threat, particularly in Africa and Southeast Asia, according to
the WHO's Malaria Report 2013.
"The
fact that so many people are infected and dying from mosquito bites is one of
the greatest tragedies of the 21st century," said WHO Director-General
Margaret Chan.
A
surge in global funding over the past decade has led to great strides against
malaria, but even levels as high as USD 2.5 billion in 2012 are still only half
what is needed to make sure everyone at risk of the disease has access to
interventions, the WHO report said.
"This
remarkable progress is no cause for complacency: absolute numbers of malaria
cases and deaths are not going down as fast as they could," Chan said.
In 2012, there were an estimated 207 million cases of malaria, causing some 627,000 deaths, down from the WHO estimate of 660,000 deaths in 2011.
In 2012, there were an estimated 207 million cases of malaria, causing some 627,000 deaths, down from the WHO estimate of 660,000 deaths in 2011.
Malaria
is caused by a parasite and symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea and
jaundice.
The
Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria and India are the hardest-hit countries.
An
estimated 3.4 billion people are at risk of malaria worldwide, with 80 percent
of cases occurring in Africa.
Tangible
progress has been seen in over half of the 103 countries with ongoing malaria
transmission, with decreases in the incidence rate since 2000, said the report.
Death
rates worldwide fell by 45 percent between 2000 and 2012 in all age groups, and
by 51 percent in children under five.
"That
is pretty astonishing, for a disease that was neglected and abandoned,"
said Robert Newman, a pediatrician who heads the WHO's Global Malaria
Program.
12.12.2013
$17.5 bn
global investment needed for optimal breastfeeding: Report
New
Delhi: A global annual investment of $17.5 billion in interventions to
universalize optimal breastfeeding can prevent millions of babies from infant
deaths due to diarrhoea and pneumonia besides impaired development and reduce
the risk for diabetes, hypertension, cancer and cardiac diseases in adult life,
suggests a report.
The
report "The Need to Invest in Babies - A Global Drive for Financial
Investment in Children’s Health and Development through Universalizing
Interventions for Optimal Breastfeeding” was published by the International
Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN), an international non-governmental
organization that monitors and tracks the implementation of the World Health
Organization’s (WHO) Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding.
The
report was formally released here Tuesday by Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy
chairman of the Planning Commission.
The
report has been launched simultaneously in Canada, Mexico, Egypt, Colombia,
Costa Rica, Guatemala and Nepal.
The
report notes that out of the 135 million babies born every year, 83 million
babies and their mothers are not enabled to optimally breastfeed as recommended
by the WHO.
The
report challenged the current estimate of $2.9 billion given by the World Bank
in 2010.
“Even
though breastfeeding has been identified as the most vital intervention to
reduce infant deaths and malnutrition in children, it is extremely
under-funded. Earlier estimates covered only parts of promotion of
breastfeeding and were too low to fund all the necessary interventions of
‘protection’ and ‘support’ to women, which are so critical,” it said.
The
report calls the transfer of a minimum of $2 per day for 180 days for lactating
women to enable them to remain with their infants during the critical early
months without economic pressure to go back to work. This assistance, which
globally comes to $12.6 billion annually, is based on World Bank’s poverty
line. India and UK have already begun such schemes to support women, it said.
12.12.2013
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