The past decade has seen unprecedented progress in malaria control efforts in most sub-Saharan African countries. As countries have scaled up insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs), indoor residual spraying (IRS), improved diagnostic tests and highly effective antimalarial drugs, mortality in children under five years of age has fallen dramatically.

It is now clear that the cumulative efforts and funding by the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), national governments, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (The Global Fund), the World Bank and many other donors are working: The risk of malaria is declining. According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) 2012 World Malaria Report, the estimated annual number of global malaria deaths has fallen by more than one-third – from about 985,000 in 2000 to about 660,000 in 2010.

The U.S. Government’s financial and technical contributions have played a major role in this remarkable progress. However, gaps in resources remain. If progress is to be sustained, committed efforts must continue. The theme for World Malaria Day 2013, and for the years leading up to the 2015 target date for the Millennium Development Goals, is “Invest in the future. Defeat malaria.” To this end, PMI and partners continue to build on investments in malaria control and prevention and respond to challenges, such as antimalarial drug resistance, insecticide resistance and weak malaria case surveillance.