Funds shortage affect malaria control
Global funding for
malaria is less than half the $4.9 billion needed in 2010 to prevent
and treat the disease that kills around 850,000 people a year, a study
showed on Saturday.
Researchers writing
in The Lancet medical journal said that 21 countries — including 12 in
Africa — now get enough or nearly enough donor help to control disease.
However, 50 countries where most people at risk of the disease live do not get enough funding to fight malaria.
“Our analysis
identified 10 African countries and five in Asia that are short of
necessary funds and have low domestic income,” said Bob Snow of the
geographic medicine centre at the Kenya Medical Research Institute in
Nairobi, who led the study.
The researchers
assessed the level of malaria risk for 93 countries, where the disease
is endemic and calculated the financial requirements to control it.
They found that international financing for malaria control has risen to $1.94 billion this year from $0.73 billion in 2007.
The Roll Back Malaria advocacy group estimates $4.9 billion is needed in 2010 to adequately control malaria.
According to the World Health Organisation, about 3.3 billion people
— half of the world’s population — are at risk of malaria, which is
spread by mosquitoes.
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