NEW YORK - Malaria deaths worldwide have fallen by 60 per cent since 2000, the UN said on Thursday, with improved diagnostic tests and the massive distribution of mosquito nets aiding dramatic progress against the disease.

Fifteen years ago, malaria killed nearly 840,000 people, while projections for this year indicate the disease is likely to cause 438,000 deaths, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations children's agency (UNICEF) said in a joint report.

"Global malaria control is one of the great public health success stories of the past 15 years," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said.