April 25, 2012, marks World Malaria Day, a day designated to call attention to malaria and to mobilize action to combat it. The U.S. Government, on behalf of the American people, has taken extraordinary steps to curb the spread of this preventable and curable disease.

Since PMI’s launch in 2005, PMI has worked with partners in 15 high-burden countries in Africa to scale up effective malaria prevention and treatment interventions. In 2011, PMI expanded to four additional countries in Africa and the Greater Mekong Subregion. Eleven of the countries where PMI has been working have reported significant reductions in deaths among children under the age of five – ranging from 16 to 50 percent. There is strong and growing evidence that malaria prevention and control is a major factor in these reductions.

More information: President’s Malaria Initiative 2012 Executive Summary (PDF)

Source: President’s Malaria Initiative