On World Malaria Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) calls for revitalized efforts at all levels, from global policy to community action, accelerating progress towards the elimination of malaria.
In the late 1990s, world leaders laid the foundation for notable advances in global malaria control, preventing more than 2 billion malaria cases and nearly 13 million deaths since 2000.
So far, 45 countries and one territory have been identified as malaria-free, and many countries with less malaria burdens continue to move steadily towards their goals of exclusion. Of the remaining 83 malaria-related countries, 25 reported fewer than 10 cases of the disease in 2023.
However, as history shows, these benefits are fragile.
“Malaria history teaches us a tough lesson. When we distract our attention, the disease is revived and the greatest sacrifices are being made to the most vulnerable,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “But the same history shows what is possible. Malaria could be defeated due to strong political commitment, sustained investment, multi-sectoral action and community involvement.”
Investing in new interventions will drive progress
Many years of investment in the development and deployment of new malaria vaccines and next-generation tools to prevent and control malaria are being paid off.
On World Malaria Day, Mali will join 19 other African countries and introduce malaria vaccines. This is an important step in protecting young children from one of the continent’s most deadly diseases. A massive rollout of Africa’s malaria vaccines is expected to save tens of thousands of young lives each year.
Meanwhile, the expansion of use of new generations treated with insecticides is poised to reduce the burden on disease. According to the latest World Malaria Report, these new nets will have a greater impact on malaria than standard pyrethroid-only nets, but nearly 80% of all nets distributed in sub-Saharan Africa in 2023 increased from 59% the previous year.
Progress on threatened malaria
Despite the great benefits, malaria remains a major public health challenge, with nearly 600,000 lives being lost to the disease in 2023 alone. Africa’s region is hit hardest, guaranteeing an estimated 95% of malaria burden each year.
In many areas, progress is hampered by vulnerable health systems and increased threats such as drug and insecticide resistance. Many at-risk groups continue to miss out on the services they need to prevent, detect and treat malaria. Climate change, conflict, poverty and population displacement exacerbate these challenges.
He recently warned that 2025 funding cuts could derail progress further in many endemic countries, putting millions of additional lives at risk. Of the 64 WHO country offices in malaria-culture countries who participated in the recent WHO inventory assessment, over half reported moderate or severe disruptions with malaria services.
Updated phone calls to work hard to protect your profits
World Malaria Day 2025 – Under the theme, “Malaria Ends With Us: Reinvestment, Reimagining, Re-Raising” – calls for strengthening political and economic commitments to protect hard-working benefits towards malaria.
Joining partners and civil society, we will appeal to malaria-related countries to promote domestic spending, particularly primary healthcare, and reinvest in order to ensure that all at-risk groups have access to the services they need to prevent, detect and treat malaria. The successful replenishment of the Global Fund and Vaccine Alliance Gavi is also important to fund malaria programs and interventions and to accelerate progress towards the goals set in Malaria 2016-2030’s WHO Global Technology Strategy.
Addressing current challenges in global malaria control also requires rethinking responses through innovative tools, strategies and partnerships. Advances in service delivery, diagnosis, pesticides, vaccines and vector control methods all require new and effective antimalarial drugs.
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More countries have made malaria management and exclusion a national priority, including the Yound Declaration signed by African Health Ministers from 11 highly-impaired countries in March 2024.
“The Minister has committed to strengthening the healthcare system, strengthening domestic resources, strengthening multi-sector actions and ensuring a robust accountability mechanism,” said Dr. Daniel Ngamije, director of the WHO Global Malaria Program. “This is the kind of leadership the world has to come together behind it.”
Rekindling commitment at all levels, from community and frontline health workers to governments, researchers, private sector innovators and donors, is important to helping to curb and ultimately end malaria.
