Spotlight on migrants in World Malaria Day pledge to end killer disease for good

Nenette Motus says despite major advances in malaria prevention, drug resistance and the high vulnerability of migrant and mobile populations in remote border areas mean efforts must be renewed to completely eliminate the disease

Reading Time:3 minutes

Malaria continues to kill more than 400,000 people every year. In 2015, almost 70 per cent of all malaria deaths were among children under five. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 11:42am, 25 Apr 2017Updated: 11:42am, 25 Apr 2017

Today, on World Malaria Day, we are calling for renewed efforts to prevent and eliminate the disease, which continues to kill over 400,000 people every year.

Children are particularly vulnerable – in 2015, almost 70 per cent of all malaria deaths were among children under five. The theme of World Malaria Day 2017 is “End Malaria for Good”.

Advances in malaria prevention, including new methods of testing, the widespread distribution of insecticide-treated nets and the introduction of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) have contributed significantly to major reductions in malaria cases and deaths in the Greater Mekong subregion – Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and China’s Yunnan ( 雲南 ) province.

There has been a major decline in cases and deaths across this region over the last three years, according to the WHO. Malaria case incidence was cut by an estimated 54 per cent between 2012 and 2015, while malaria death rates fell by 84 per cent over the same period.

A Cambodian grandfather on his farm in the country’s Pailin province, the areas surrounding which are home to drug-resistant malarial strains. Photo: Jeffrey Lau

Malaria superbugs threaten global disease control

But, despite these achievements, the emergence of drug resistance in many areas across the region, particularly in border areas, has required a change in strategy to completely eliminate disease in the Asia-Pacific region, or “end malaria for good”.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x