Cape Town — Four out of every five of the one million people who die of malaria each year are African children under the age of five, according to a new report issued by the United Nations Childrens' Fund.
Sub-Saharan Africa is the region of the world worst affected by malaria, the report says. However, the campaign to "Roll Back Malaria" is notching up important successes.
The report, entitled 'Malaria and Children – Progress in Intervention Coverage', and launched by UNICEF on behalf of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, records that annual production of bed nets more than doubled – from 30 to 63 million nets – between 2004 and 2006.
Bed nets treated with insecticide protect people against being bitten by mosquitoes carrying malaria. Unveiling the report at an international news conference this week, Ann Veneman, executive director of UNICEF, noted that 16 countries in sub-Saharan Africa "have at least tripled their coverage of bed nets since 2000."
Dr. Awa Marie Coll-Seck, executive director of Roll Back Malaria, told the news conference that progress made in the fight against malaria has been attained through the harmonizing of co-ordinated partnerships. What is now needed, she added, was the strengthening of "political and financial commitments [and] clear policy guidance."
Speakers at the news conference also discussed policy changes on the treatment of malaria. Veneman said that most African countries have now adopted the treatment recommended by the World Health Organisation, known as "Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy" or ACT. As a result, "global ACT procurement grew from around three million doses in 2003 to some 100 million doses in 2006."
Despite such advances, many people still have no access to treatment. Peter Salama, UNICEF's chief of health, noted that "it's still a minority of children [who] get access to the best types of antimalarials." However, price reductions and increases in international funding are expected to boost ACT usage in future.
