Worldwide prevalence of the disease is estimated to be on the order of 300-500 million clinical cases each year. Mortality due to malaria is estimated to be in the range of 1.5 to 2.7 million deaths each year. The vast majority of deaths occur among young children in Africa, especially in remote rural areas with poor access to health services. Malaria epidemics related to political upheavals, economic difficulties and environmental problems also contribute in the most dramatic way to death tolls and human suffering. The Global Malaria Control Strategy emphasizes the strengthening of local and national capabilities to analyse the malaria situation, to plan, implement and evaluate control interventions, and to contribute to health development in the context of primary health care.
Training is the main instrument for capacity building.
What has been achieved to date is a political commitment to malaria control and a progressive strengthening of national and local capacities for assessing malaria situations and selecting appropriate measures aimed at reducing or preventing the disease in the community according to the Global Control Strategy. This now needs to be followed by a deeper commitment for the effective implementation and continuous evaluation of these plans. This requires not only the commitment of the health sector, but also other governmental sectors and the private sector where activities may directly or indirectly affect the malaria situation and the community itself. Only when these partnerships are reinforced and activities coordinated will future reports be able to indicate reductions in malaria disease and deaths. These are at initial stages of implementation in terms of disease management, selective preventive measures, including insecticide impregnated bednets, and epidemic preparedness.