DERMATOLOGY

Malaria deaths underestimated

Source: IrishHealth.com

February 5, 2012

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  • The number of deaths worldwide from malaria may be seriously underestimated, and could be almost twice as high as previously believed, according to new research.

    The new study estimates that in 2010, 1.24 million people died from malaria, which is carried by mosquitoes. in 2010.

    Previously, the death toll had been estimated at 655,000.

    However, indications now are that the global deaths from malaria have begun to fall.

    The research showed that that worldwide deaths from malaria had risen from 995,000 in 1980 to a peak of 1.82 million in 2004, then falling to 1.24 million in 2010.

    The research was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and is published in the Lancet.

    Most fatalities from the disease are among young children. In Africa, the study reported a higher proportion of deaths among older children and adults than previously estimated.

    It is predicted that malaria deaths will drop to less than 100,000 in around 10 years time.

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    © Medmedia Publications/IrishHealth.com 2012