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Last year, the World Health Organization reported that the rate at which people are dying from malaria has fallen by almost half since the beginning of this century.
去年，世界衛生組織報告稱，瘧疾致死率自本世紀初以來已下降近半。
One reason for this substantial improvement is the increased availability of insecticide-treated bed nets. In 2013 – the most recent year for which we have statistics – almost half of all people at risk of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa had access to an insecticide-treated net, up from just 3 per cent in 2004.
這一顯著改善的原因之一是驅蟲蚊帳的供應增加。2013年是我們有統計的最近一個年份，在撒哈拉以南非洲所有面臨瘧疾風險的人當中，近一半已擁有驅蟲蚊帳，而2004年只有3%。
It is also because of massively improved access to accurate malaria diagnostics and effective treatment. In 2013, the number of rapid diagnostic tests procured globally increased to 319 million, up from 46 million in 2008. The same year, 392 million courses of artemisinin-based combination therapies – a key intervention to treat malaria – were procured, up from 11 million in 2005.
還有一個原因是瘧疾得到確診和有效治療的機會大增。2013年，全球采購的快速診斷檢測包數量增至3.19億套，大大高于2008年的4 600萬套。青蒿素綜合療法作為治療瘧疾的一個關鍵干預措施，2013年采購量為3.92億個療程，而2005年為1 100萬個療程。
As a result, fewer people are becoming infected with malaria, and more people are getting the medicines they need. This tremendous achievement is clear proof that we can win the global fight against malaria. We have the tools and the know-how. But, we still need to invest in getting these tools to a lot more people if we are to further reduce the number of people becoming ill with malaria, and further cut the number of people who die each year.
其結果是，感染瘧疾的人數減少，有更多人獲得了他們需要的藥物。這一巨大成就清楚地證明，我們能夠贏得全球防治瘧疾斗爭。我們擁有工具和專門技能。但是，如果我們想要進一步減少瘧疾感染人數和每年死亡人數，我們就仍然需要作出投資，將這些工具送到更多人手中。
We urgently need to get insecticide-treated nets to all people at risk in sub-Saharan Africa – not just half of them. We must address the recent decline in indoor residual spraying, another key intervention for reducing new infections. And we have to do more to for the millions of people who cannot get tested and treated for malaria. We must also move more decisively to tackle insecticide and drug resistance.
我們迫切需要向撒哈拉以南非洲所有面臨風險的人提供驅蟲蚊帳，而不僅僅是他們中的一半人。我們必須應對近期室內滯留噴灑下降的問題，這是減少新感染病例的另一個關鍵干預措施。而且，我們必須為千百萬未能接受瘧疾檢測和治療的人作出更多努力。我們還必須更加果斷地采取行動，解決對殺蟲劑和藥物的抗性問題。
This means investing more in tried and tested approaches to malaria prevention and treatment, strengthening health systems in the world’s poorest countries, and intensifying efforts to develop new tools and approaches.
這意味著要對已經嘗試和測試過的瘧疾防治辦法作出更大投資，要加強世界最貧窮國家的衛生系統，并加緊努力開發新的工具和辦法。
On World Malaria Day 2015, I call on the international community to “invest in the future: defeat malaria”. We have a real opportunity to defeat this terrible disease. Let’s not waste it.
值此2015年世界防治瘧疾日之際，我呼吁國際社會“投資未來，擊敗瘧疾”。我們擁有真正去擊敗這一可怕疾病的機會。讓我們把握住。
