Indicators of significant progress against the disease demonstrate the reversal of the course of malaria.
United Nations - The Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Malaria, Ray Chambers, commended the findings of the WHO World Malaria report today.
"The 2009 WHO World Malaria Report demonstrates that we are succeeding in the global campaign to end deaths from a disease that takes the lives over one million people each year. Thanks to unprecedented levels of funding and extraordinary collaboration among partners, the malaria community has achieved remarkable progress.
Over 140 million Long-Lasting Insecticidal Mosquito Nets have been delivered across sub-Saharan Africa between 2006 and 2008, protecting over 280 million lives, or 35 percent of the population. The number of households in Africa with access to a net has doubled in two years. With 90 percent of all malaria deaths occurring in this region, this translates into a powerful stand against this disease.
The application of these proven tools and methods have saved lives, as the World Malaria Report indicates an encouraging number of African countries have reduced malaria deaths and cases by more than 50 percent since 2000.
As we mark the 12-month countdown to the Secretary-General's December-2010 deadline for universal access to malaria-control interventions, this report confirms that we are on the path to defeating this disease."