HC Deb 05 May 2004 vol 420 cc1593-4W
Mr. Stephen O'Brien

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of predicted fatalities from malaria among(a) key workers, (b) pregnant women and (c) children under five years in Sub-Saharan Africa in each year between 2004 and 2014; and if he will make a statement; [170300]

(2) what recent assessment his Department has made of the change in the level of malaria fatalities in Sub-Saharan Africa. [170299]

Hilary Benn

The Department for International Development has not made any estimates of the predicted fatalities among different groups of people from malaria. DFID looks to the World Health Organisation to provide a technical lead on such questions.

Great progress was made in reducing malarial mortality in the 1970s and 1980s, yet many parts of Africa are now seeing an increase in the number of deaths from malaria. Malaria is Africa's leading cause of child mortality and constitutes 10 per cent. of the continent's overall disease burden. Approximately 3000 people die from malaria each day in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

A key cause of the recent rise in malaria deaths is an increase in resistance to antimalarial drugs, and the lack of affordable alternatives. In addition the capacity of health systems in Sub-Saharan Africa is often inadequate to respond effectively to malaria.

Nonetheless, malaria remains a disease that is preventable, treatable and curable. This Department remains strongly committed to meeting the Millennium Development Goal to halt and begin reversing the incidence of malaria by 2015, recognising the importance of malaria, not just in terms of disease burden, but also the potential it has to undermine economic growth and human development.

Since 1998 DFID provided in excess of £110 million to support malaria control activities globally and at country level. At the global level this includes support to Roll Back Malaria; a $280 million commitment to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (which will fund distribution of insecticide impregnated bed nets and appropriate ant-malarial medication); support to the Medical Research Council; support to the Malaria Consortium Resource Centre; and initiatives to help find new low-cost malaria treatments,

DFID also supports malaria control activities at country-level through our bilateral county programmes, either through direct support to the health sector or through general budget support. DFID is committed to supporting national governments and their partners to help ensure that effective drugs and commodities including effective anti-malarial drugs are accessible to the poor. Since 1997 DFID has committed £1.5 billion to strengthen health systems to deliver vital drugs and health care treatment.

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