U.N. report details progress in preventing malaria

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More African children are getting insecticide-treated bed nets in their homes, and more are being treated for malaria, U.N. and children's health experts said in a report released on Wednesday.

They said it was the best news in decades about malaria, but said nets still were distributed only in a few countries and many people at risk weren't getting the best treatment for the mosquito-borne disease, which kills an estimated 1 million people a year.

"For the first time we are now able to report on improvements in preventive measures for malaria control, such as insecticide-treated net use," reads the report from the United Nation's Children's Fund UNICEF.

"Global funding for malaria control has risen more than 10-fold over the past decade," UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman told reporters in a conference call.

She said that the number of insecticide-treated nets being produced worldwide had more than doubled from 30 million in 2004 to 63 million in 2006.

But the report said as many as 264 million insecticide-treated nets were needed to protect 80 percent of the pregnant women and children under age 5 at risk of malaria in Africa.

"The report also reveals progress in the treatment of malaria," added Veneman.

More countries are using drugs recommended by the World Health Organization for treating malaria.