World Malaria Day 2014: Invest in the future. Defeat malaria

Every year, World Malaria Day (held on 25 April) provides an opportunity to review regional and national efforts to reduce the malaria burden, and to reiterate political commitment for the control and elimination of this mosquito-borne disease. In the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, almost 300 million people are at risk of malaria, and transmission occurs in eight countries. In 2012, there were an estimated 13 million malaria cases and 18 000 deaths [1].