In 2015, WHO put a challenge to the medical and research community: reduce malaria incidence and mortality rates by 90%, eliminate malaria in at least 35 countries and prevent a resurgence of malaria in malaria-free countries, all by 2030. But despite progress in prevention and control tools, cases of illness and death related to malaria remain high in many areas and the burden is highest among young children.

In 2017, there were an estimated 219 million cases and 435,000 deaths due to malaria in 87 countries, according to WHO, which reported last year that progress against malaria has stalled.