As the world marks World Malaria Day, The World Health organization has warned that if efforts to end the disease are not intensified, decades of hard won progress could be lost.
Currently malaria claims an estimated one life every minute, with most deaths occurring in the African region. In 2024 alone, malaria claimed over 600,000 lives. These alarming numbers reflect the stalled progress in global malaria eradication efforts and are a stark reminder that the battle against this preventable and treatable disease is far from over.
In a recent news release, WHO called for a concerted effort to eradicate the disease, urging partners to leverage new technologies and tools. The organization also stressed on the importance of reinvesting in proven interventions and reimagining strategies to overcome existing challenges.
“It’s time to recommit to ending malaria. We have the knowledge, life-saving tools and targeted prevention, testing and treatment methods to defeat this disease. We must reinvest in proven interventions, reimagine our strategies to overcome current obstacles, and reignite our collective efforts together with countries and communities to accelerate progress towards ending malaria.”
This year’s World Malaria Day theme, ‘Reinvest, Reimagine, and Reignite,’ is a clear call to action, urging global stakeholders to refocus their efforts and renew their commitment to eradicating malaria once and for all.
The stalled progress can be attributed to new challenges in the fight of malaria as malaria drug resistance, climate change, and disrupted health services due to the COVID-19 pandemic threaten to undo the gains made in the fight against malaria.
Extreme weather events, conflict, humanitarian emergencies, and economic stresses are disrupting malaria control efforts in many endemic countries, leaving tens of millions of people with limited access to the services they need to prevent, detect and treat the disease. Without prompt treatment, malaria can rapidly escalate to severe illness and death.
Another major contributor to stalled progress is decreased funding which poses a significant threat to Malaria interventions, including research.
This drop funding directly affect patients especially in countries with a high burden since most of them are also low income, increasing burden on healthcare systems and potentially worsening outcomes.
“We know how to end malaria. The choice is ours: act now or risk losing ground. Ending malaria is not just a health imperative; it is an investment in a more equitable, safer and prosperous future for every nation,” the release read in part.
