A Decade of Progress: The President’s Malaria Initiative Tenth Annual Report to Congress

Publisher: President’s Malaria Initiative

The year 2015 marks a decade of renewed U.S. Government leadership and commitment in the global malaria fight. The past decade witnessed a key turning point in the long battle against malaria, and we have reached several historic milestones. Global progress on malaria control has been unequivocal – the World Health Organization estimates that more than 6.2 million malaria deaths were averted worldwide between 2000 and 2015. Most of these estimated lives saved were among children under the age of five living in sub-Saharan Africa – the most vulnerable group at risk for malaria. During this time period, new malaria cases fell by 37 percent, and malaria mortality declined by an estimated 48 percent worldwide. Even greater reductions in malaria mortality were recorded in sub-Saharan Africa, where deaths among children under the age of five declined by 71 percent. Based on these results, the World Health Organization and UNICEF reported that the Millennium Development Malaria Goal of halting and reversing malaria incidence by 2015 was achieved.