Progress towards combatting malaria in Africa

In 2000, the United Nations developed eight Millennium Development Goals to improve health and wellbeing worldwide. Millennium Development Goal 6, "combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases, " is crucial for many countries worldwide, especially in sub-Saharan Africa which faces a unique dual burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases. The chapter uses the revised demographic, epidemiologic, and nutrition transition model approach as a theoretical perspective to guide the discussion of childhood malaria and care-seeking practices. The premise of this framework recognises that scientists have begun to understand only recently that the demographic and epidemiological transitions occurring in developed countries are also occurring in developing, lower-income countries. Nigeria has more reported cases of malaria and deaths due to malaria than any other country in the world. In order to improve malaria diagnosis and treatment, it is necessary to develop a better understanding of factors that influence whether malaria treatment is sought.