25 April 2015
World Malaria Day
Today marks World Malaria Day – a day to take stock of advances made in the fight against malaria.
“Solomon Islands has made remarkable progress in reducing malaria,” said Australia’s High Commissioner to Solomon Islands, Andrew Byrne.
“We have already witnessed an 80 per cent drop in malaria incidence from 2003 levels, which is dramatically improving the health and wellbeing of Solomon Islanders.
“This progress is largely due to the tireless efforts of the Solomon Islands Ministry of Health and Medical Services, with the support of development partners such as the Australian Government.”
Today malaria rates in Solomon Islands are estimated to be around 44 per 1,000 people each year. This is expected to decline even further into the future as anti-malarial activities continue.
“Progress to date has been commendable”, said Mr Byrne, “But more work needs to be done.
“We must continue to invest the resources needed to maintain gains and further drive down the incidence of malaria in Solomon Islands.
“Australia is committed to continuing to work with the Solomon Islands Government to this end.”
The Australian Government has worked closely with the Solomon Islands Government and development partners to combat malaria in Solomon Islands for over a decade, including through supporting the distribution bed nets and spraying of high incidence areas.
Malaria is a leading cause of mortality among children and infants in Solomon Islands and in 2013 was responsible for close to 200 million infections and over 580,000 deaths around the globe.