Omanghana
Global health agencies and research organizations have renewed calls for stronger action against malaria as Africa continues to carry an overwhelming share of the disease’s global burden.
According to the World Health Organization’s latest estimates, the African Region accounted for approximately 94% of worldwide malaria cases and 95% of malaria-related deaths in 2024. Globally, an estimated 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths were recorded during the year.
Children under five remain the most vulnerable group, accounting for about 75% of malaria deaths in the WHO African Region. Eleven high-burden countries are responsible for roughly two-thirds of cases and deaths globally, according to the WHO’s 2025 World Malaria Report.
Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are among the countries carrying the heaviest burden, alongside Niger, Uganda, Mozambique and other high-transmission nations.
Health experts warn that malaria’s impact extends beyond illness and death. The disease places enormous pressure on already stretched healthcare systems, reduces productivity and forces vulnerable households to spend limited resources on treatment and transportation.
Although established interventions have prevented millions of infections and deaths, funding shortages threaten to reverse the progress achieved over the past two decades.
Researchers and advocacy organizations are calling for sustained contributions to international financing mechanisms such as the Global Fund. Continued investment is needed to expand diagnostic services, improve access to effective medicines and support the rollout of malaria vaccines.
The WHO-recommended RTS,S and R21/Matrix-M vaccines are now important additions to malaria-control programs. However, health authorities emphasize that vaccines must be used alongside insecticide-treated mosquito nets, preventive medicines, rapid testing, effective treatment and environmental vector control.
Research networks such as Target Malaria are also exploring next-generation approaches, including genetically modified mosquito and gene-drive technologies designed to reduce populations of malaria-transmitting mosquitoes or limit their ability to spread the parasite.
These technologies remain under research and regulatory review and have not replaced established malaria-control measures. Scientists stress that any future deployment must involve rigorous safety assessments, ethical oversight and meaningful consultation with affected communities.
Drug and insecticide resistance present additional challenges. Some mosquito populations are becoming less responsive to commonly used insecticides, while changes in malaria parasites can undermine treatment or allow infections to escape detection by certain rapid diagnostic tests.
Experts are therefore calling for decentralized genomic surveillance and stronger laboratory capacity to identify emerging resistance early and guide national responses.
African scientific leadership is considered essential to this effort. Researchers argue that countries carrying the greatest burden must play a central role in developing, evaluating and governing new technologies.
Eliminating malaria will require a combination of sustained financing, proven interventions, vaccine expansion, responsible scientific innovation and health systems capable of reaching the communities most at risk. The latest malaria figures are available from the World Health Organization.
Source: Omanghana
