Malaria global burden

United Nations. (2005). Global burden of malaria. Retrieved March 27, 2007 from United Nations Millenium Project Web site http //www.unmillenniumproject.org/documents/ GlobalBurdenofMalaria.pdf... 

At the global level, an analysis of the WHO database on burden of disease (http //www.who.int/evidence) shows that most of these deaths result from a handful of causes (WHO, 2005a). Figure 1 shows the major causes of death in children under five years of age. Estimates from the 2000-2003 database attribute 37% of these deaths to neonatal causes, 19% to pneumonia, 17% to diarrhoea, 20% to other — including injuries, measles, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) — and 8% to malaria. 

Malaria remains an enormous burden to global health. The 1995 World Health Report (47) indicates that the disease is endemic in more than 90 countries which comprise 40% of the world s population. The incidence of malaria has been steadily increasing to a current annual estimate of 300-500 million clinical cases 1.5-2.7 million of these result in death with the vast majority of lethalities due to infection with Plasmodium falciparum. The reasons for resurgence of malaria are numerous and complex, but a primary factor is the spread of resistance to currently available antimalarial drugs. The discovery and development of selective new agents for therapy and propylaxis is, therefore, of paramount importance. 

Protozoan parasites are responsible for some of the most devastating and prevalent diseases of humans and domestic animals. Protozoan parasites threaten the lives of nearly one-third of the worldwide human population, and are responsible for the loss of more than 50 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and more than 2 million deaths a year. The parasite species responsible for malaria Plasmodium spp) are at the forefront in terms of their ability to inflict devastating effects and mortality on the human population, but the parasites responsible for the various forms of leishmaniasis (Leishmania spp), African sleeping sickness Trypanosoma brucei) and Chagas disease Trypanosoma cruzi) are also important contributors to global morbidity and mortality figures. Many other parasitic species also contribute significantly to the world s disease burden. 

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