Malaria increasingly a disease of poverty and inequity, reveals World Malaria Report 2019

The RBM Partnership to End Malaria welcomes the publication of the World Malaria Report 2019, which demonstrates that global investments and action against malaria are making a big difference, yet half the world – overwhelmingly the most vulnerable – are still at the greatest risk of dying from a mosquito bite.
According to the World Malaria Report 2019, released today by the World Health Organization (WHO), global malaria cases and deaths are declining but at a slowed rate: from an estimated 231 million to 228 million cases and from 416,000 to 405,000 deaths between 2017 and 2018. Importantly, estimates show that in 2018, global efforts saved almost 600,000 lives per year and prevented almost 100 million malaria cases per year compared to 2000.
The report shows malaria still strikes hardest against some of the most vulnerable members of society – pregnant women and children under five – particularly in Africa, which accounts for 93% of global malaria cases. An estimated 11 million pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa – 29% of all pregnancies – were infected with malaria in 2018, resulting in nearly 900,000 children in 38 African countries being born with a low birth weight. The report also found that the percentage of eligible women receiving the 3 recommended or more doses of Intermittent Preventive Treatment in Pregnancy (IPTp) increased from 22% to 31% in just one year, but still is far from universal coverage.