Africa still bears the brunt of the global malaria burden, with 94% of cases occurring on the continent. According to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) 2024 World Malaria Report, approximately two thirds of global malaria cases and deaths are concentrated in 11 African countries: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
While the world must mobilise around Africa to put an end to malaria, the disease remains a deeply local public health issue and a challenge for the new generation of African scientists. Eliminating malaria demands African leadership, innovation, and investment.
The WHO Report indicates that there were 11 million more cases of the disease in 2023 than there were in 2022. Another 600,000 people died in 2023, with no significant improvement compared to 2022. While some progress has been made in combating malaria, it is not enough, or fast enough. Existing prevention methods like drugs, bed nets, and vaccines have saved millions of lives, however, they will unlikely be able to take us to eliminating the disease.
“The reality is malaria kills mostly children under five in Africa, and hits the poorest hardest–fueling a cycle of poverty, underproductivity, underinvestment, impeding overall development,” said Krystal Birungi, Research Associate for Outreach at Target Malaria and Global Fund Advocates Network speaker.
“Imagine what our continent could achieve if the resources spent on malaria were freed up for education, infrastructure, and economic growth. But we will only get there if we match bold innovation with bold investment,” said Birungi.
“The Global Fund needs US$18 billion to save 23 million lives between 2027 and 2029, and reduce the combined mortality rate by another 64%, relative to 2023 levels, and to prevent around 400 million infections”, added Birungi.
Now, the global fight against malaria must intensify in light of global aid. Target Malaria remains at the forefront of scientific innovation in its commitment to eliminating the deadly disease. The research consortium’s gene drive technology is a potential tool for vector control and would be complementary to other control methods, offering a sustainable approach to control malaria.
“Our technology aims to protect from malaria mosquitoes for everyone in the community, regardless of their education, wealth or ability to access healthcare services.”
“But, our work does not happen in isolation, and sustained global funding for malaria research remains essential. For this World Malaria Day (25 April), now is the time to double down because eliminating malaria isn’t just possible — it’s inevitable, if we choose to fund it and fight for it together,” concluded Birungi.
