This content is 9 years old. Content may be out of date.

WWARN welcomes UN resolution

29 Jan 2015

The UN General Assembly passed a resolution on April 18 urging governments to accelerate efforts to roll back malaria worldwide, particularly in Africa, a move welcomed by WWARN. The action preceded World Malaria Day on 25 April.

Malaria is responsible for an estimated 780,000 deaths annually, 90% of them in Africa. It is the single most common cause of child death.

Philippe Guerin, WWARN Director, said he was greatly encouraged by the adoption of the resolution as it signals renewed commitment by the UN member states to reach the targets set by the Roll Back Malaria Partnership for 2015.

RBM aims for near zero deaths from malaria by this date, through increasing efforts worldwide to beat the disease, including malaria prevention, and reducing the risk of drug resistance. 

WWARN calls on the malaria community to work together in order to identify and track any signs of emerging resistance to ACTs (arteminsin-based combination treatments) the only currently effective form of drug treatment.

The UN resolution, entitled 'Consolidating gains and accelerating efforts to control and eliminate malaria in developing countries, particularly in Africa, by 2015', includes the following statement on combating resistance:

The General Assembly … "Expresses its concern about the increase in resistant strains of malaria in several regions of the world, and calls upon Member States, with support from the World Health Organization and other partners, to implement the Global Plan for Artemisinin Resistance Containment of the World Health Organization to strengthen and implement surveillance systems for drug and insecticide resistance and upon the World Health Organization to coordinate a global network for the monitoring of drug and insecticide resistance and to ensure that drug and insecticide testing is fully operational in order to enhance the use of current insecticide- and artemisinin-based combination therapies, and stresses that these data should be utilized for further research and development of safe and effective therapies."