(Photo: Yonhap News)
The World Health Organization says progress in eliminating malaria has stalled with more than 400,000 people once again estimated to have died from the disease last year.
In its World Malaria Report 2020 released Monday, the WHO said progress against the mosquito-borne disease was plateauing, particularly in African countries bearing the brunt of cases and deaths.
The global tally of malaria cases in 2019 was estimated at 229 million -- the same level for the past four years.
Meanwhile the once rapidly-falling death toll has effectively come to a standstill in the last two years.
After steadily tumbling down from 736,000 in 2000, the disease claimed an estimated 411,000 lives in 2018 and 409,000 the following year.
The U.N. health agency said, "A better targeting of interventions, new tools and increased funding are needed to change the global trajectory of the disease and reach internationally-agreed targets."
More than 90 percent of the disease burden is in Africa.
There are concerns that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic could also prevent further efforts to overcome malaria.
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