Geneva: The World Malaria Report highlights a concerning increase in malaria cases and deaths in 2024, recording 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths. This marks nearly nine million more cases than the previous year.
According to Lao News Agency, it is estimated that 95% of these deaths occurred in the African Region of the World Health Organization (WHO), with the majority being children under the age of five. Despite the grim statistics, the WHO report notes the positive impact of new tools, such as dual-ingredient networks and vaccines, which helped avert approximately 170 million cases and one million deaths in 2024.
The expansion of seasonal malaria chemoprevention has been significant, now reaching 54 million children in 20 countries by 2024, a substantial increase from about 0.2 million in 2012. The WHO has certified 47 countries and one territory as malaria-free, with Cabo Verde and Egypt achieving certification in 2024, followed by Georgia, Suriname, and Timor-Leste in 2025.
However, the report also underscores growing resistance to antimalarial drugs, which poses a challenge to achieving malaria elimination. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, cautioned that while new prevention tools offer hope, significant challenges remain.
The rise in cases and deaths, coupled with increasing drug resistance and funding cuts, threatens the progress made over the past two decades. The goal of reducing malaria deaths, a key objective of the Global Malaria Technical Strategy 2016-2030, remains distant.