VOA常速英语:抗击疟疾成果显著，资金缺口恐碍进展

The World Health Organization’s 2016 report highlights significant achievements in the global fight against malaria.Mortality rates, the annual number of deaths from malaria have been halved since the year 2000 to just over 400,000.

The WHO says programs to distribute insecticide-treated mosquito nets are the cornerstone of malaria prevention efforts in Africa.

“The progress is that now 53 percent,just over half that target population and it’s a very large target population in some very difficult to reach places.Fifty-three percent of those people report now sleeping under an insecticide-treated net.That’s fantastic.”

But as more insecticide is used to prevent malaria, so the mosquitoes,the vectors that transmit the disease are becoming resistant.

“Insecticide resistance is spreading very rapidly.Now that we’re achieving those high levels of coverage, it’s spreading more rapidly than ever and becoming really strong in some places.So there are places in Africa now that report their mosquitoes can stand one thousand times the dose of the original population.”

Diagnostic testing for malaria has also increased significantly in the last five years allowing for the rapid prescription of life-saving treatment, particularly for children and pregnant women.

“What’s clear now is that we need to do a much more differentiated set of interventions.We need to tailor what we’re doing to each place.”

Sub-Saharan Africa bears the brunt of the global malaria burden.92 percent of malaria deaths occurred there in 2015.

The World Health Organization says progress is being held back by a lack of funds.

“The last five years we have seen no increase on the level of funding,be this from international donors or domestic funding from the affected countries themselves.We are not on track to achieve our goals unless we increase the amount of resources made available fight against malaria.”

The WHO says more needs to be done to prevent and treat malaria infection in children.Children under the age of five account for an estimated 70 percent of all malaria deaths.

Henry Ridgwell, for VOA news, London.