GENEVA, Switzerland, April 25 (UPI) -- The world needs to intensify its efforts to combat malaria in Africa, where the disease still kills more than 3,000 children daily, a joint report by two specialized U.N. agencies said Friday.
"Malaria continues to tighten its grip on Africa. By scaling our efforts, we can reverse this trend," said Dr. Gro Harlem Bruntland, director-general of the World Health Organization.
An estimated 1 million people die from malaria in Africa each year, Bruntland said, accounting for about 90 percent of such deaths in the world.
At least two out of 10 deaths of African children under age 5 are due to the disease, according to the "Africa Malaria Report 2003," published by the WHO and the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) to commemorate Africa Malaria Day.
Malaria costs Africa an estimated $12 billion every year in lost gross domestic product, the report states. In addition, between 20 percent to 50 percent of all hospital admissions are a consequence of the disease, placing a huge burden on health systems.
The joint report also raises concerns that chloroquine, the cheapest and most widely available antimalarial drug, "has lost its clinical effectiveness in most parts of Africa." Resistance to the most affordable alternative drugs, notably SP, "is also an emerging problem in eastern and southern Africa," it adds.
On a brighter note, the report states that randomized controlled trials in African settings have shown use of insecticide-treated nets can reduce the number of under-5 deaths by around 20 percent. The report admits, however, the cost of ITNs remains an impediment to their widespread use.
At present, according to the report, only 18 out of the 43 African countries that pledged to reduce or waive taxes and tariffs on the nets -- as part of the fight against malaria -- have done so.
"We're disappointed -- they should have all done it by now," said Dr. Allan Schapira, WHO coordinator for Roll Back Malaria.
Schapira said taxes and duties account for 20 percent to 30 percent of the $3 retail price for the nets, which, the report notes, puts them beyond the reach of most families living in some of the world's poorest nations.
The report urges an increase in total spending on malaria prevention and control from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to help combat the killer disease. In 2002, about $200 million was earmarked for malaria control worldwide, compared with an estimated $60 million in 1998.
The development of new-generation antimalarial drugs also could make a difference in the fight to contain malaria, the report states. "Several newly developed drugs could replace those that are no longer effective; artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) have enormous potential in malaria therapy," it adds.
