Malaria experts have warned that the world will not be able to bring the disease under control using currently available means.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has a target of reducing the number of cases and deaths by 90% by the year 2030, but even with the most optimistic projections, a team of scientists and public health specialists say the goal cannot be achieved.
Their report reveals that the mosquito nets, insecticides, diagnostic tests and treatments being used today were developed decades ago.
The scientists say that new methods need to be developed – but this could cost billions.
The projected benefits are huge – two billion cases of malaria and four million deaths would be prevented.
Malaria is one of the world’s biggest killers. Each year, about 400,000 people – mostly children in Africa – die from the disease.
Progress towards ending malaria has stalled globally.
The team of experts advising the WHO on malaria eradication say that between the years 2000 and 2015 the number of cases declined by more than a fifth, and deaths fell by half. But since then, nothing much has changed.
