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Malaria Deaths Rose in 2020 Due to Covid-19 - Report

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the global response to the longtime threat of malaria has taken a hit as the novel coronavirus pandemic disrupted health services in many countries, leading to at least 69,000 more people dying in 2020 than in 2019.

WHO, in its annual malaria report, cited a total of 241 million malaria cases in 2020, up by 14 million from the year before, and 627,000 deaths. Two-thirds of the additional malaria deaths were due to disruptions in the provision of malaria prevention, diagnosis, and treatment during the pandemic, the report said. 

Experts hope that the fight against malaria will gain considerable ground following the WHO's recommendation in October 2021 that RTS, S - or Mosquirix - a vaccine developed by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline should be widely given to children in Africa.

WHO says that malaria is the number one killer of children in sub-Saharan Africa, causing the death of more than 260,000 children under age 5 every year.

InFocus

Tetiana Gaviuk

Patient with severe malaria and measles in Pibor town (file photo).

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