The Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) have created an incredible Interactive Map that allows you to explore the global trends of Malaria between the years of 1980-2010.

As noted on NPR, the health map has been assembled by Christopher Murray and his co-authors at the University of Washington in Seattle, who recently published a report tracking the epidemic in The Lancet journal. Murray’s study revealed the possibility that the number of deaths caused by Malaria (globally) might be double the number previously predicted by the World Health Organization.

The map is truly a work of art: interpreting selected criteria of age, region, country and year into bright, bold visual-displays that one can easily tack. It is most interesting to select a specific country to monitor and “play” through the historical course of malaria-related mortality rates in the nation.

Ultimately, whether it be 655,00 annual deaths (WHO) or over 1.2 million annual deaths (Murray et al), the map only reinforces the idea that malaria is still at large in the modern world. Many people, spanning various ages and locations, continue to die every year from preventable diseases such as malaria. Although we have made progress in most regions (as the map will show), our battle against the malaria-front is far from over.