Malaria control programs have been very beneficial in saving hundreds of thousands of lives during the past decade. This has been based on the report findings from the World Health Organization that has just published the World Malaria Report 2010. According to the report, malaria deaths will be likely to end by 2015 if the good results are maintained.

The World Health Organization said that the programs and investigations of the control of malaria have brought great positive results. WHO said that the results during the past two years are remarkable. Based on the report, there have been enough insecticide-treated mosquito nets provided to over 578 million people who were greatly at risk of malaria, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. This was done from 2008 to 2010 and it actually showed a positive result.

To add to this, the Director-General of WHO, Margaret Chan, said that there has been an increase to 75 million people who have been protected from malaria by using indoor residual spraying. It has been able to protect 10 percent of the entire population who were at risk of malaria in 2009.

According to Chan, the estimated number of deaths caused by malaria has dramatically dropped from more than one million in 2000 to 781,000 in 2009. In addition, Chan said, “Eleven of Africa's 43 endemic countries are now reporting reductions of greater than 50 percent in either confirmed malaria cases or deaths over the past decade. Outside Africa, the malaria map is shrinking as more and more countries eliminate malaria from their territory.”

Chan said that the elimination of malaria cases is beneficial not only to the country but to the immediate neighborhoods. One more important means in eradicating malaria is the artemisinin-based combination therapies. The said drug is proven to effectively fight malaria.

However, there has been resistance against the ACTs along the Cambodia-Thailand border. This has caused great worry among health officials. These health officials have noted that artemesinin is the only available treatment known to work against malaria. Dr. Chan said that the World Health Organization has been taken proper measures and actions to prevent the resistance from ACT. In addition, Chan said that WHO has already recommended diagnostic test should be done to suspected cases of malaria. This step is done before anti-malarial drugs are given to patients.

Furthermore, Chan said "It is no longer appropriate to assume that every African child with a fever has malaria and needs anti-malarial treatment. Inexpensive, quality-assured, rapid diagnostic tests are now available. And that can be used right down to the community level. It is important to highlight the point that using these diagnostic tests can cut down the old way of prescribing ACT's and hence guard against the emergence of resistance."

WHO is staying positive that the clinical trials for anti-malarial RTS, S vaccine will be successful. According to the organization, the third phase of clinical