Malaria Mortality Returns to Pre-Covid Levels — WHO

Malaria mortality has returned to pre-Covid levels, according to a report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday. However, the WHO emphasized the need for faster progress in tackling malaria, which claimed nearly 597,000 lives in 2023.

The WHO’s new report estimates that there were 263 million cases of malaria worldwide in 2023, marking an 11 million increase from the previous year. Despite this rise in cases, the mortality rate remained relatively stable. Arnaud Le Menach of the WHO’s Global Malaria Programme noted that the malaria mortality rate had returned to pre-pandemic levels, following a sharp spike in 2020 due to disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in an additional 55,000 deaths.

Although the overall malaria death toll has decreased in recent years, the 2023 mortality rate in Africa—52.4 deaths per 100,000 people at risk—still remains more than double the target set by the global strategy to eliminate malaria by 2030. The WHO stressed the need for accelerated progress in the fight against the disease.

One of the bright spots in the battle against malaria is the wider rollout of malaria vaccines, which the WHO believes could save tens of thousands of young lives each year. Two vaccines—RTS,S and R21/Matrix-M—are currently in use, offering hope for reducing the burden of malaria, particularly in Africa, which accounts for about 95% of malaria-related deaths. Malaria vaccines were first introduced in Malawi in April 2019, followed by Kenya and Ghana. By the end of 2023, nearly two million children in these three countries had received the RTS,S vaccine, contributing to a 13% reduction in malaria mortality during the four years of the pilot program.

The WHO looks forward to similar reductions in other countries as they introduce the vaccines. So far, 17 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have incorporated the malaria vaccines into their routine immunization programs, with eight additional countries approved for funding through the GAVI vaccine alliance.

In another positive development, new-generation dual-insecticide nets, which combine pyrrole insecticides with the standard pyrethroid insecticide, are becoming more widely available. These nets offer significantly better protection against malaria. The WHO has estimated that these nets have helped prevent 13 million malaria cases and nearly 25,000 deaths over the past three years.

Despite these advancements, the WHO identified several challenges in the fight against malaria, including a lack of funding, insufficient vaccine stocks, and the impact of climate change, which has expanded the range of mosquitoes that carry the malaria parasite. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for increased investment and action in high-burden African countries to curb the threat.

The Global Fund, a key partner in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, echoed this sentiment, with Executive Director Peter Sands warning that progress has stagnated in recent years. He stressed the need for a dual approach—investing in new technologies while addressing the strains that climate change places on healthcare systems.