The age-old fight between epidemic diseases to claim human lives has once again been highlighted by a recent report funded by the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the US president’s Malaria Initiative.
In the shadow of the staggering deaths caused by Ebola in Guinea in 2014, it has come to light that more people have died of malaria than Ebola since 2013. This is a fact that needs to get the urgent attention of the world’s health bodies, governments, aid workers and communities in the manner they commonly devise ways to keep infectious diseases under control.
Malaria is among the biggest health challenges in the world with an estimated 584,000 deaths, mostly among children in Africa, caused in 2013.
Its prevalence in other developing regions is also a concern that needs to be swiftly addressed by governments and apex health organisations. At the heart of every epidemic, whether Ebola or malaria, lies the lack of infrastructure and civic amenities that allows diseases to spread and get out of control. The need to restrategise baseline precautions for old dangers such as malaria is stronger than ever.
