Malaria kills nearly twice as many as previously thought

A new international study involving Queensland researchers has found more than 1.2 million people died from malaria worldwide in 2010 – twice the number estimated in the most recent comprehensive study of the disease. But the number of deaths has fallen rapidly as efforts to combat the disease have ramped up. Deaths from malaria have been missed by previous studies because of the assumption that the disease mainly kills children under 5. “Our study identified that 42 per cent of malaria deaths occur in older children and adults.”

Dr Alan Lopez, head School of Population Health, University of Queensland

The Lancet; http://www.uq.edu.au/news/index.html?article=24332