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WHO warns of malaria resurgence

There are other concerns. The number of long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets - delivered to endemic countries - has dropped from a high of 145 million in 2010 to 66 million in 2012. What’s more, the World Malaria Report said the “expansion of indoor residual spraying programs has leveled off, remaining at 11 percent of the population at risk.”

“If we don’t scale-up control operations in 2013, it is likely that we’ll have [a] major resurgence of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Cidulskis.

The WHO report said the malaria burden is concentrated in 14 endemic countries that account for 80 percent of malaria deaths. Most are in sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo are the hardest hit in that region, while India is the most affected in South East Asia.

It’s estimated there are 219-million malaria cases worldwide. About 660,000 people die every year from the disease.

“Each one of those cases and each one of those deaths is preventable,” he said.

Cidulskis said the leveling-off of funding is due in part to the global recession. But he also said most of the countries where malaria is endemic are poor. And while they’ve been increasing spending on control and treatment programs, their resources are limited.