United Nations, Rajab 5, 1436, Apr 24, 2015, SPA -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Thursday that malaria kills more than 1,200 children a day across the world, despite a 40 percent drop in child deaths from malaria since 2000. The UN agency released its "Facts about Malaria and Children" ahead of World Malaria Day to show the extensive impact of the disease on children and on pregnant women around the world. "With a 40 percent reduction in child deaths from malaria since 2000, this year's World Malaria Day is an important marker in how far we have come," Xinhua quoted Dr. Mickey Chopra, UNICEF's associate director for programs and chief of health, as saying. "However, the deaths of close to half a million children a year are a sobering reminder that without increased efforts and investments this disease will remain a challenge to us all for a long time to come," Chopra said. According to the latest report by the World Health Organization (WHO), malaria mortality rates have decreased by 47 percent worldwide and 54 percent in Africa alone since 2000. Since 2001, it is estimated that more than four million malaria-related deaths have been averted, approximately 97 percent of which have been children under five. Some 584,000 people died worldwide in 2013 from malaria, with 90 percent of these deaths occurring in Africa. In all there were approximately 198 million cases of malaria worldwide. --SPA 11:10 LOCAL TIME 08:10 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w