Africa sees progress in its war on malaria

Africa's fight against malaria has notched up some important wins, despite the continued spread of the disease, according to a recent report.

Cabo Verde has reported zero indigenous malaria cases and deaths for three consecutive years, ending the epidemic in the West African island nation, according to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report.

The country is now on track to obtain certification as the fourth malaria-free African country, joining Mauritius, Morocco and Algeria.

Botswana, Comoros, Eritrea, Eswatini and Sao Tome and Principe also reported fewer than 10 malaria deaths in 2021, the health agency said in its just-released World Malaria Report 2022.

And while malaria cases increased to 234 million in 2021 compared to 232 million in 2020 in the WHO Africa region, deaths decreased to 593,000 from 599,000 in 2020.

Several African countries are also on track to meet the Global Technical Strategy (GTS) target. The GTS aims for a reduction in malaria incidence and mortality rates by at least 40% by 2020, 75% by 2025, and 90% by 2030

Cabo Verde, Ethiopia, the Gambia, Ghana and Mauritania met the GTS 2020 target, while Rwanda, SA, and Zimbabwe are now on track to meet the GTS 2025 target, the report said.

Despite positive strides, four African countries accounted for over half of all malaria deaths globally. Those included Nigeria (31.3%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.6%), Tanzania (4.1%) and Niger (3.9%).

Between 2019 and 2021, there were also substantial increases in estimated case numbers in Nigeria (4.0 million), Madagascar (2.8 million), Uganda (1.7 million), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1.6 million) and Angola (1.4 million).

However, Rwanda saw a decrease of more than 3.6 million cases over the same period.

The WHO highlighted that lower funding due to disruptions during the Covid-19 pandemic and rising costs have increased pressure on national malaria programmes.

However, advances made in different regions and individual countries could make real the quest to reduce the incidence and number of deaths from malaria.

In West Africa, Gambia, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal are actively implementing territorial elimination programmes.

In East and Southern Africa, Botswana, Comoros, Eswatini, Namibia, and SA are implementing national malaria elimination programmes, with a majority of them committing to eliminating malaria by 2025.

The report isolates disease surveillance and investment in malaria programmes as critical areas of value in the fight to eliminate malaria.

Burkina Faso, Cameroon, DRC and Ghana have all scaled their malaria surveillance systems.

The report also shows that Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Congo, Cabo Verde, Liberia, Senegal, Rwanda, Botswana, Namibia and SA pumped more domestic resources into malaria elimination programmes than other funding sources.

Looking forward, the WHO noted several promising developments, including the first malaria vaccine (RTS,S) the first and only vaccine recommended to prevent malaria in children. It has been given to over 1 million children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi and will become widely available next year.

“We face many challenges, but there are many reasons for hope. By strengthening the response, understanding and mitigating the risks, building resilience and accelerating research, there is every reason to dream of a malaria-free future, “ said Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, in the report.

— bird story agency