The UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the global fight to eradicate malaria shows signs of stalling following recent success.
Pedro Alonso, director of the WHO’s global malaria programme, is quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying:
“We want [this to be] a wake-up call to the malaria community. We are not on track, and we need to get back on track.”
Last year the number of people infected by malaria was up by five million on the previous year.
Funding has been allowed to plateau over the last 10 years, the WHO said.
It also said a complacent attitude to the disease has seen a drop in the use of preventative tools such as bed nets, indoor spraying and primary healthcare.
More than 400,000 people died of the disease in 2016, the vast majority being children under five.
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Source: BBC