The mosquito-borne parasitic disease is both preventable and curable, but it remains a serious and deadly global health threat – killing hundreds of thousands – primarily among young children and pregnant women, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa.
THE WHOThe latest annual update shows impressive progress since 2000: the intervention has saved an estimated 14 million lives worldwide over the past quarter century, and 47 countries are certified malaria-free.
Nevertheless, malaria remains a deadly concern. There have been more than 280 million cases of malaria and more than 600,000 deaths from malaria in 2024, with 95% of cases concentrated in the Africa region – most in just 11 countries.
Resistance increases
One of the main obstacles to eliminating malaria is the issue of drug resistance, which deserves a separate chapter in this year’s study: eight countries have reported confirmed or suspected resistance to antimalarial drugs, including artemisinin, a treatment recommended by the WHO.
To combat this, the report recommends that countries avoid over-reliance on a single drug, while opting for better health monitoring and regulatory systems.
Underfunding – in a region plagued by conflict, climate inequality and fragile health systems – is another major cause.
Some $3.9 billion has been invested in the response in 2024, less than half of the target set by the WHO.
The report highlights that overseas development assistance (ODA) from rich countries has declined by around 21 percent. Without more investment, the authors say, there is a risk of a massive, uncontrolled resurgence of the disease.
A detailed photo of malaria vaccine vials at a government cold storage facility in Lilongwe, Malawi on April 25, 2022.
“The red lights are flashing”
“Malaria is still a preventable and treatable disease, but it may not last forever,” warned Dr. Martin Fitchet, CEO of Medicines for Malaria Venture, a nonprofit that focuses on delivering new antimalarial drugs, at a WHO press conference to preview the report.
“We must act now to increase the scope and coordination of surveillance, so we don’t fly blind, and invest boldly in next-generation drug innovation, so the parasite doesn’t beat us to it.”
Dr Fitchet raised the specter of the crisis resulting from resistance to the anti-malarial drug chloroquine in the 1980s and 1990s.
This led to a humanitarian catastrophe, resulting in the loss of millions of lives, mainly children.
“Today, this report shows us that the red lights are flashing again with the emergence of increasing numbers of resistant mutations on the African continent. We must ensure that we extend the resilience and effectiveness of the medicines we currently have.”
“But our long-term resilience and eventual victory in the fight against malaria depends on the development of the next generation of antimalarial drugs. »
He said that “the complexity and scale of the challenge we face mean that no tool or actor can succeed alone,” he concluded, calling for partnerships that span the entire human health sector, including “industry, global health agencies, academia, physicians, investigators, civil society, communities and funders.”
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