For those of you who love global health data, the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) launched its latest report, the Eighth Annual Report to Congress, last week. Drawing on cumulative country data gathered over the course of fiscal year 2013 as well as over the last eight years when PMI launched we learn pertinent milestones that have been achieved to scale malaria control efforts such as:

• More than 21 million people were protected as a result of PMI-supported indoor residual spraying in FY 2013.
• More than 123 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets have been procured and more than 81 million distributed since PMI began.
  
• More than 237 million life-saving antimalarial treatments have been procured and more than 185 million distributed since PMI began.
• More than 114 million rapid diagnostic tests have been procured and more than 67 million distributed since PMI began.
  
  
• More than 29 million intermittent preventive treatments for pregnant women have been procured and more than 17 million distributed since PMI began.
• More than 61,000 health workers were trained on case management in FY 2013

These targeted malaria control efforts are helping to keep more children and pregnant women alive when they contract malaria as the infectious disease is wholly preventable and treatable, even for those who have weak immune systems. In fact, malaria deaths dropped 25% between 2000 – 2012.

The report provides detailed data per country where PMI works as well as overall data over time for malaria control interventions. Space is dedicated to handling counterfeit and damaged malaria medicines and a thorough explanation of partnerships is given with examples of those that are particularly effective.

At 50 pages of malaria data, this report is an effective resource for data gathering when you might be in need of quality numbers on malaria control throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

Photos: Jennifer James