Donors have urged world leaders to show more commitment in the fight against malaria to eradicate the disease by 2040.
Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Ray Chambers, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Financing the Health Millennium Development Goals and for Malaria, released a report, "From Aspiration to Action: What Will It Take to End Malaria", yesterday as world leaders convened at the UN General Assembly in New York to adopt new development goals.
More money and effort needs to go into the fight against malaria, as eradication would save 11 million lives and unlock US$2 trillion (72.6 trillion Thai baht) in economic benefits, according to the report.
Though global malaria deaths have fallen by nearly 60% since 2000, and half of the world's nations are now malaria-free, one billion people are still infected and about one child dies from malaria every minute.
In Thailand, Department of Disease Control (DDC) deputy director-general Opas Karnkawinpong said the number of malaria cases has declined since a few decades ago when more than 100,000 malaria cases were reported.
More than 11,600 cases of malaria have been reported so far in Thailand this year -- 8,572 Thais and 3,036 foreigners who fell ill between Jan 1-Sept 18 -- according to the DDC. The rate of malaria infection has dropped by nearly half compared to the past, said Dr Opas.
He attributes the decline to the Public Health Ministry's long-running campaign to use chemicals to control vectors (mosquitoes carrying the disease) and education campaigns urging people to use mosquito nets and insect spray.
Malaria cases are mostly reported in border provinces adjacent to Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, said Dr Opas, who added cases of drug resistance are common and need ongoing monitoring.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation reported that parasite resistance to artemisinins, drugs used to prevent malaria, have been detected in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.