QUESTION

How many people have died from this disease today? (2011)

ANSWER

Estimates for the number of annual deaths from malaria vary, and are not very accurate since they depend heavily on the quality of reporting. Since the majority of people who die from malaria are in sub-Saharan Africa, and often far from decent health facilities, it can sometimes be difficult to determine whether someone died of malaria or some other cause. The latest data available are for 2010 (2011’s statistics will be published some time in 2012): World Health Organisation estimated that last year approximately 655,000 people died from malaria, which was a decrease of 39,000 from 2009 and a drop of 25% from 2000. It is expected that the number of deaths will continue to fall in 2011. Organisations such as Malaria No More are dedicated to ending all deaths from malaria by the year 2015.

If you have ever taken anti-malaria medication, please take Malaria.com’s brief Malaria Medication Side-effects Survey: Treatment and Prophylaxis.