Key Points:
- The WHO malaria report: 610,000 deaths in 2024, mainly children in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Funding gaps limit access to prevention tools and vaccines.
- Experts call for faster rollout of new interventions to prevent resurgence.
The WHO malaria report shows malaria killed about 610,000 people in 2024, mostly young children in sub-Saharan Africa, as rising drug resistance, climate pressures, and shrinking funds hinder global control efforts.
Funding Gaps Slow Malaria Response
According to the WHO malaria report released Thursday, Malaria deaths increased slightly in 2024, according to the WHO’s annual report released Thursday, with global cases rising from an estimated 273 million in 2023 to 282 million in 2024. The agency says stagnant funding and growing environmental pressures are eroding earlier progress.
Total global investment in malaria control reached $3.9 billion last year, well below the more than $9 billion needed annually. The figures do not include additional cuts to international aid that began in January in the United States, which WHO officials say have further strained country programs.
“The underfunding of malaria response brings obvious risk, a massive and uncontrolled resurgence of disease,” said Daniel Ngamije Madandi, director of the WHO’s global malaria program. He said governments and donors must restore support to prevent future spikes.
The funding gap has limited access to core tools such as bed nets, rapid diagnostic tests, and new malaria vaccines. Supply bottlenecks and uneven distribution have also slowed rollout in high-burden regions.
Rising Cases Driven by Resistance and Climate Strain
After strong declines in the early 2000s, malaria control has stalled over the last decade. While forty-seven countries are certified malaria-free, several others experienced sharp increases in 2024, including Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Yemen.
The WHO malaria report attributes the rise partly to population growth, but case incidence — which adjusts for that growth — also rose, from fifty-nine to sixty-four cases per 100,000 people at risk between 2015 and 2024.
Drug and insecticide resistance remains a growing threat. Several frontline treatments and bed nets have shown reduced effectiveness, particularly in parts of East Africa. Climate change, which alters mosquito breeding patterns, has expanded transmission seasons and shifted malaria zones to higher altitudes.
“Too many people are still dying from a preventable and curable disease,” Ngamije said. “Rising drug and insecticide resistance, climate change, and ongoing conflict are making the job harder.”
Mortality rates fell only slightly over the past decade, from 14.9 to 13.8 deaths per 100,000 people at risk, reflecting modest gains that WHO officials say remain fragile.
Experts Cite Need for New Tools and Faster Rollout
Public-health experts say new technologies — including updated treatments, improved diagnostics, and recently introduced malaria vaccines — could reverse current trends if deployed broadly.
Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, medical director of the Arizona State University Health Observatory, said faster delivery of these tools is critical. “We have lifesaving interventions that can change the trajectory of malaria, but they must reach the communities most affected,” she said. “Delays in access can cost thousands of lives.”
NGOs working in malaria-endemic regions report similar concerns. “When funding is inconsistent, countries struggle to plan long-term strategies,” said Anil Deshmukh, a global-health adviser with an international aid group. “Stable investment allows programs to train staff, maintain surveillance, and distribute prevention tools before outbreaks accelerate.”
The WHO malaria report stresses that affected countries must also strengthen surveillance and health-system capacity, especially in conflict zones where outbreaks are harder to detect and treat.
Despite challenges, WHO leaders say the new tools offer significant hope. They note that millions of lives have been saved over the last two decades through coordinated action and donor support.
“Our job now is to make sure the advances reach those at greatest risk,” Ngamije said. “The world cannot afford to lose ground,” the WHO malaria report stresses.
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