It ’s ‘Ambitious’ — But Possible — to Eradicate Malaria by 2050, According to a Landmark Report

It may be possible to eradicate malaria—one of history’s deadliest diseases—from the planet by 2050, according to a coalition of 41 leading scientists, economists and health-policy experts writing in the Lancet. “Malaria is one of the oldest and deadliest diseases of humankind,” says Sir Richard Feachem, one of the report’s authors and co-chair of the Lancet commission on malaria eradication. “If we, humankind, were to take on this challenge and eradicate malaria by 2050, it would be an achievement of historic proportions. There would be nothing quite like it.” Malaria, a mosquito-borne illness caused by a parasite, results in flu-like symptoms that can be effectively treated (and prevented) with drugs. But the disease can be fatal if left untreated or if complications occur. Worldwide incidence has declined by 36% since 2000, and malaria is now all-but non-existent in more than half of countries worldwide. Only 1,700 cases are reported in the U.S. each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nonetheless, malaria remains a devastating and deadly problem in many countries, namely Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Fifty-five countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America have actually seen a rise in malaria cases in recent years, according to the report. Eradicating the disease——defined as permanently reducing to zero the number of people infected by a certain disease...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Infectious Disease onetime Source Type: news