Malaria Kills 1.2 Million Annually, Double Previous Estimates

Approximately 1.2 million humans die each year from malaria, a much higher figure than the previously estimated 600,000, researchers from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, USA, reported in The Lancet this week. The authors added that the majority of deaths occur in children under the age of 5 years, while 42% occur in adults and older children.

However, the huge international anti-malaria effort that has taken place over the last ten years is paying off. Malaria mortality has significantly dropped. The study was paid for by a grant awarded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Professor Christopher Murray and team gathered malaria mortality data over a thirty-year period, ending in 2010. They have revealed that the death figure reported in the World Malaria Report 2011 was an underestimate - there are significantly more deaths occurring in several parts of the world, especially in Africa...