Health Report.Malaria kills about one millionpeople a year and sickens anothertwo hundred fifty million.Most of the deaths arein young children in Africa.Malaria causes twenty percentof childhood deaths in Africa.People become infectedwhen they are bittenby mosquitoes carryingthe malaria parasite.A new study estimatesthe possibility of ending malariain countries that havethe deadliest form of the disease.Researchers found that thiscould be possiblein most parts of the worldwithin ten to fifteen years.What it would require,they say, is reducingthe spread of malariaby ninety percent fromtwo thousand seven rates.An international team createdmathematical models and mapsof areas where the diseaseis gone or almost gone.Andrew Tatem, an assistant professorat the University of Florida,led the study.Professor Tatem saysa number of things have helpedcountries successfully fight malaria.ANDREW TATEM: " ... such as relativelylow levels of malaria riskto start with,political stability,a good health systemand low levels of population movementbringing in infections from elsewhere."The study says malariacould be eliminated if countriesare serious about usingproven control measures.These include insecticidesand bed nets.The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundationpartly financed the research.The study appearsin the Lancet medical journalin a series of reportson eliminating malaria.Other malaria experts writingin the Lancet expressedconcern about givingtoo much attentionto eliminating malaria.They say such a goalcould take many years,if it is possible at all.The concern is that resourcesfor controlling malariacould be lost if the moneyis spent insteadon trying to defeat it.Years of efforts to eliminateanother disease, polio,have largely succeeded.Now, the World Health Organization saysa new vaccine combinationwill help in the fight to end polioin countries where it is still found.That report, based on a studyfrom India, also appears in the Lancet.There are three kinds of polio virus.Vaccination campaigns normallyuse vaccines designed to protectagainst all three types.But cases of the type two virushave not been seen in years.And the new study confirmedthat the type two vaccinereduces the effectivenessof the other vaccineswhen given together.To avoid that problem,the new combination containsvaccine only for the type oneand type three polio viruses.And that's the VOA Special EnglishHealth Report.For more health news,go to 51voa.com.