Malaria deaths fall in east and west Africa

Researchers from Kenya in the east report a substantial decrease in hospital admissions for malaria between 2003 (18.43/1000 children) and 2007 (3.42/1000 children), accompanied by a similar reduction in deaths from confirmed disease. Hospital data from the Gambia in the west also indicate dramatic reductions since 2003 in hospital admissions for malaria (as a proportion of all admissions), deaths attributable to malaria, and cases confirmed by blood slide. The average age of children with malaria has risen in both regions, suggesting that the youngest children have benefited most from the trends.

International efforts to control malaria have been scaled up recently and widespread distribution of treated bed nets is probably at least partly responsible for some of the improvement in the Gambia, say researchers. The picture is less clear in Kenya, where the biggest changes occurred before bed nets and effective drugs were widely available. They are now needed more than ever to protect a population with considerably lower immunity than it once had.