HOUSTON, June 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

• 64 percent reduction in death among children under the age of five on Bioko Island
• 57 percent decline in the prevalence of malaria infections in children between two and five years of age on Bioko Island
• 86 percent decline in anemia in children between two and five years of age on Bioko Island

Marathon Oil Corporation (NYSE: MRO) announced today that the Bioko Island Malaria Control Project (BIMCP) in Equatorial Guinea has achieved measurable results dramatically reducing the risk of death in children on Bioko Island in Equatorial Guinea, as reported in the scientific journal The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (AJTMH).

In 2003, Marathon and its business partners Noble Energy (NYSE: NBL), GEPetrol and SONAGAS, joined with the Government of Equatorial Guinea through the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and formed a team of leading health specialists. The malaria control project was designed by Medical Care Development International (MCDI) and conducted under the sponsorship of the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. The main focus of the NMCP project is those at highest risk: children under five years of age and pregnant women.

The peer-reviewed scientific findings, as published in the June 2009 AJTMH article, 'Marked Increase in Child Survival after Four Years of Intensive Malaria Control,' include the following:

• The death rate from any cause was reduced by 64 percent for children under the age of five on Bioko Island. By interviewing a statistically-valid random sample of nearly 2,400 Bioko Island households, the BIMCP found the under-age-five death rate for the four years before the project started to be 152 per 1,000 births. The death rate for the four-year period from March 2004 to February 2008 fell to 55 per 1,000 births.
• The prevalence of malaria infections and anemia in children between two and five years of age declined 57 percent and 86 percent respectively. Each year from 2004 through 2008, a random cross-section of families agreed to having their children's blood tested for the presence of malaria parasites and for anemia, a very frequent result of malaria. The results provide impressive direct evidence of the project's success.
• Fevers declined in children between two and five years of age by 56 percent. During the same household visits, mothers consented to answer questions related to the family's health. The reduction in reported fevers - the most common symptom of malaria - also indicates a major reduction in malaria among Bioko Island's children.
• High rates of indoor spraying and bed net use were achieved. About 80 percent of households on Bioko Island received indoor residual spraying twice per year, from 2004 through 2008, and 75 percent of households also used insecticide-treated bed nets by 2008.