Improving diagnosis of malaria

Malaria is a disease regularly discussed in primary care travel health clinics with UK patients planning to travel an area of risk. It is found in more than 100 countries, affecting 3.3 billion people, equivalent to half the world's population.

In 2010, there were about 216 million malaria cases (with an uncertainty range of 149 million to 274 million) and an estimated 655,000 malaria deaths (with an uncertainty range of 537 000 to 907 000). Most deaths occur in Africa.¹

In addition to known diagnoses of malaria, we must also factor in the thousands of people who contract malaria, but remain undiagnosed. Some estimates indicate that malaria may affect more than 500 million people a year, the majority being children.² The worldwide actual number of deaths is not known with certainty, as accurate data is undocumented in many rural areas.