Burundi health officials are reporting a significant decrease in malaria cases and deaths in the first half of 2018 compared to last year, according to new data published.
According to the Ministry of Health (MoH), the cumulative number of malaria cases reported during the first 24 weeks of 2018 is 2,378,081 cases with 1,164 deaths, which is 44 per cent lower than the number of cases reported for the same period in 2017 (4,221,295 cases and 1,891 deaths).
Despite the encouraging epidemiological trend, the fight against malaria remains a priority for the Health sector.
Malaria is a lethal disease caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium, which are transmitted to humans by the bite of infected mosquitoes.
Malaria is present in countries concentrated in Africa, Asia and America, and it is estimated that in 2016 there were 445,000 deaths worldwide and 216 million cases, according to WHO data.
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