Spread of Malaria Slows

A United Nations report released this week finds that investing in malaria treatment and prevention in developing countries is working — remarkably well.

The report indicates that malaria cases have been cut in half in more than a third of the countries where the disease is common, reports the Associated Press. The World Health Organization said Tuesday that it is cautiously optimistic that the spread of the disease is slowing. Up until recently the disease was spreading.

More than 240 million people contracted the mosquito-borne disease in 2008 and killed about 863,000, mostly in Africa, reports the AP.

Funding for malaria has been dramatically increased in the past 10 years. Between 2006 and this year alone, funding went from $730 million to $1.7 billion. Last year, the UN made a push to provide mosquito nets to those at risk, with a goal of getting everyone in need a net by 2010.

According to the WHO, malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is transmitted through bites by infected mosquitoes. The parasites multiply in the liver, and then infect red blood cells.

Symptoms of malaria include fever, headache, and vomiting. If not treated, malaria can quickly become life-threatening by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.