Malaria vectors in the world

Malaria is a severe disease caused by Plasmodium parasite species of which two - P. falciparum and P. vivax – are the most important for human. Despite the strong efforts made since the discovery of the aetiology, malaria is still a largely unresolved global public health problem, with 219 million cases in 90 countries estimated in 2017 (WHO Report). WHO estimates that in 2017 malaria caused about 435 000 deaths (no precise data are reported because of the poor information available on the African setting). WHO estimates that since 2000 a decrease in malaria cases and deaths of 22% and 50% respectively have been obtained. Sub-Saharan countries are the most affected with an estimated 93% of all the malaria deaths. The children aged under five years are particularly affected by the disease with about 300 000 deaths every year. Malaria is mainly a problem of poor countries. Total funding invested to fight malaria is still very limited with an estimated 2.6 billion Euro in 2017. About 70% of these funds are donated by international public and private bodies, while governments of endemic countries provide the remaining 30%. Plasmodium falciparum is the most dangerous agent of malaria causing more than 99.0% of malaria cases in Africa, 62.8% in South-East Asia, 69.0% in the Eastern Mediterranean and 71.9% in the Western Pacific. P. vivax is mostly present in the Americas, where it causes 74.1% of malaria cases [1].