World Malaria Day 2017

Kamaragi, Luweero Hospital, Uganda. Credit Pierre Hugo/MMV

Malaria is a serious, life-threatening disease that affects millions of people around the world, particularly affecting less developed parts of the world. Sub-Saharan Africa is disproportionally affected, accounting for 92% of all malaria deaths. In 2015, there were 212 million cases of malaria worldwide, with 429,000 deaths from malaria. In Uganda, one of Irish Aid’s Key Partner Countries, there were an estimated 8.5 million cases malaria in 2015, causing an estimated 12,000 deaths. 70 percent of deaths due to malaria worldwide were in children under the age of five.

Ireland’s largest global health partner, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, provides 50% of all international funding for malaria. Funding both prevention and treatment, the Global Fund has invested over $8.3 billion in malaria control programmes – this includes distribution of over 700 million anti-mosquito nets to people at risk of malaria in over 100 countries and the spraying of over 63 million homes to prevent the spread of malaria.

As the story of Kamaragi shows, progress continues to be made: development of new treatments, new methods of testing, and distribution of insecticide-treated nets have led to a 29 percent drop in malaria mortality rates between 2010 and 2015.

Supporting the global ambition of ending the malaria epidemic by 2030, Ireland invests substantially in the fight against malaria and supports vital efforts to both prevent malaria and treat it effectively.

Ireland's largest global health partner, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, provides 50% of all international funding for malaria. Funding both prevention and treatment, the Global Fund have invested over $8.3 billion in malaria control programmes – this includes distribution of over 700 million anti-mosquito nets to people at risk of malaria in over 100 countries and the spraying of over 63 million homes to prevent the spread of malaria.

Where prevention is not possible, ensuring treatment is vital and parallel to the Global Fund who procures medicines, Ireland also invests in the research and development of new and better treatment through its research partners. In 2010, the Medicines for Malaria Venture, one of Ireland’s partners in the fight against malaria, developed the treatment that helped Kamaragi, and since then 75 million treatments have been delivered to countries affected by malaria, saving an additional 500,000 children’s lives in the process. This supports Ireland’s work in countries such as Mozambique and Tanzania.

Ending the epidemic of malaria by 2030 is one of the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals, and we will continue to work with our partners to help achieve this.