Southern Africa: Climate Change and Funding Cuts Threaten Malaria Targets - What SADC Countries Can Do
[The Conversation Africa] Malaria control and elimination efforts across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are at a critical point. Over the past two years, case numbers have increased in the region. Several countries have reported reversals in hard-earned gains. People living in malaria-prone areas are at a higher risk than before.
Malaria control and elimination efforts in Southern Africa are facing significant challenges. Over the past two years, case numbers have increased across the region, with several countries reporting reversals in progress. The Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Angola, and Tanzania have some of the highest malaria burdens globally, accounting for 22.9% of the world's total. Achieving the WHO's target to eliminate malaria by 2030 now seems more difficult.
Multiple threats are affecting malaria control, including overstretched and under-resourced national malaria programmes, unpredictable global health funding, frequent extreme weather events, and drug and insecticide resistance. Donor funding for African malaria programmes has largely depended on external sources, with South Africa being a notable exception, funding most of its programme internally.
Extreme weather events, like flooding caused by La Niña in early 2026, have increased the risk of infectious disease spread. Countries must prepare response plans and improve data sharing for regional coordination. Since 2025, the US government has cut funding for essential malaria control activities, making it harder for the Global Fund to meet its US$18 billion replenishment target for Grant Cycle 8.
This funding shortcoming has forced countries to prioritize interventions that protect the most vulnerable, leaving less vulnerable populations at risk.
In 2026, a La Niña weather system caused severe flooding in several SADC countries, damaging infrastructure and displacing communities, including mobile and migrant populations. This influx of displaced people increases the strain on overburdened healthcare facilities and raises the risk of drug stockouts. Mozambique experienced a 55% increase in malaria cases in the first six weeks of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, and Zimbabwe reported 65,399 cases in Q1 2026, nearly double the number from Q1 2025.
Full funding for regional preparedness and response plans, along with well-functioning regional coordination mechanisms, are essential to address these challenges effectively.
Written by urgent.news from AllAfrica's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
