Malaria outbreak turns into a sheer epidemic in Algeria

Contrary to the recent moderating statements made by the health ministry about the malaria outbreak in several parts of Algeria, this contagious disease is now turning to all intents and purposes into a sheer epidemic with dreadful adverse repercussions on the population.

New cases of malaria infections have been recorded over the past few days in several regions of the country with on focus 7 new cases in Ghardaia, 2 in Ouargla and others in the areas of Médéa, Batna and Guelma.

This brings the number of malaria – infected people in Algeria to 90 and this bleak situation is now giving serious cause for concern.

At the world scale, global efforts to control and eliminate malaria have saved an estimated 3.3 million lives since 2000, reducing malaria mortality rates by 45% globally and by 49% in Africa, according to the World Malaria Report 2013  published by the World Health Organization (WHO).

An expansion of prevention and control measures has been mirrored by a consistent decline in malaria deaths and illness, despite an increase in the global population at risk of malaria between 2000 and 2012. Increased political commitment and expanded funding have helped to reduce incidence of malaria by 29% globally, and by 31% in Africa.

The large majority of the 3.3 million lives saved between 2000 and 2012 were in the ten countries with the highest malaria burden, and among children aged less than five years – the group most affected by the disease. Over the same period, malaria mortality rates in children in Africa were reduced by an estimated 54%. But more needs to be done.

“This remarkable progress is no cause for complacency: absolute numbers of malaria cases and deaths are not going down as fast as they could,” says Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General. “The fact that so many people are infected and dying from mosquito bites is one of the greatest tragedies of the 21st century.”

In 2012, there were an estimated 207 million cases of malaria (uncertainty interval: 135 – 287 million), which caused approximately 627 000 malaria deaths (uncertainty interval 473 000 – 789 000). An estimated 3.4 billion people continue to be at risk of malaria, mostly in Africa and south-east Asia. Around 80% of malaria cases occur in Africa.