Africa still bears 94% of world’s malaria burden, research network warns

Ghana's malaria research and media advocacy network, AMMREN, has urged for sustained investment in disease surveillance and public health messaging to combat the mosquito-borne illness. The organization issued this call on World Mosquito Day, observed annually to honor Sir Ronald Ross, who discovered in 1897 that female Anopheles mosquitoes transmit the malaria parasite.

The warning is based on the World Health Organization's (WHO) 2024 World Malaria Report, which highlights that the African region accounts for 94% of worldwide malaria cases and 95% of deaths in 2024. Children under five represent nearly three-quarters of these fatalities. Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Niger are responsible for more than half of these deaths.

Dr. Charity Binka, AMMREN's Executive Secretary, pointed out that the disease burden is evolving despite advancements in fighting the illness. The organization cites three main pressures on control programs: rising insecticide resistance among mosquito populations, changing environmental and climatic conditions impacting mosquito breeding and range, and the invasion of new mosquito species into territories previously unaffected.

These issues correspond with WHO's 2024 report, which documented partial drug resistance to artemisinin in Eritrea, Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania, with resistance suspected in several other African countries. AMMREN focuses specifically on insecticide resistance, a separate issue affecting vector control rather than drug treatment.

Despite these challenges, AMMREN highlights newer interventions such as malaria vaccines and enhanced vector-control methods as expanding the capabilities of disease programs. However, the organization did not specify which vaccines or vector-control tools, making this a general statement of their position. AMMREN also notes that mosquitoes transmit other diseases like dengue, yellow fever, and chikungunya, emphasizing that vector control is relevant to a broader range of diseases in Africa.

The network outlines three priorities it advocates for: continued investment in surveillance and research and development; community-focused prevention efforts, including access to protective tools and timely care; and improved health communication, treating accurate information as a core part of disease control. Dr. Binka emphasized, "We must keep the science moving, but we must also ensure that people are not left behind. Accurate information is a powerful tool for prevention."