Malaria Deaths Still High

Malaria deaths are decreasing, especially among children in Africa, but they may be substantially higher than WHO estimates.

Figures for global malaria deaths have ranged widely. To provide an accurate estimate of deaths and time trends that can be used to track the progress of malaria-control programs, researchers collected available data for malaria mortality between 1980 and 2010 for the 105 countries with local malaria transmission. Using multiple inputs (including vital registration systems, published and unpublished verbal autopsy reports, and Malaria Atlas Project data on transmission intensity) and correcting for misclassification bias, they developed models to estimate malaria mortality by age, sex, country, and year.

Malaria deaths peaked at 1.82 million in 2004 and have fallen steadily since then, dropping to 1.24 million in 2010 (714,000 children aged …

Reviewing Author

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine