By 2010, this number had declined to around 7.6 million – still far too high, but definitely an historic improvement. Malaria deaths in children in Africa were cut from a peak of around one million in 2004 to around 700,000 by 2010, and, worldwide, deaths of pregnant women declined by almost half between 1990 and 2010, from an estimated 543,000 to 287,000.
如今，公共卫生领域的诸多方面都可以看到进步。1990年，有1200万不到5岁的儿童夭折。到了2010年，该数字下降至760万左右——依然很高，但毫无疑问是历史性的进步。非洲疟疾儿童致死数量也从2004年的最高峰（约100万）下降至2010年的约70万，而全球孕妇死亡数量在1990—2010年间下降了几乎一半，从543 000降至287 000（估计值）。