SWITZERLAND — The coronavirus pandemic interrupted efforts to control malaria, resulting in 63,000 additional deaths and 13 million more infections globally over two years, according to a report from the World Health Organization.
Meanwhile, the number of malaria infections continued to rise, albeit at a slower pace, to an estimated 247 million in 2021.
That compares with 245 million cases in 2020 and 232 million in 2019, the United Nations health agency revealed in its World Malaria Report 2022.
About 95% of the world’s 247 million malaria infections and 619,000 deaths last year were in Africa. And just four countries including Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, and Tanzania accounted for more than half of all malaria deaths.
Although estimated malaria deaths globally fell to 619,000 in 2021 from 625,000 in 2020, due in part to healthcare services stabilizing following pandemic-related disruptions, the number of deaths remained higher than the estimated 568,000 in 2019, according to the report.
“We were off track before the pandemic and the pandemic has now made things worse,” said Abdisalan Noor, a senior official in WHO’s malaria department.
Noor said he expected the wider rollout of the world’s first authorized malaria vaccine next year to have a “considerable impact” on reducing the number of severe illnesses and deaths if enough children get immunized, adding that more than 20 countries have applied to vaccines alliance Gavi for help in securing the shot. Still, the vaccine is only about 30% effective and requires four doses.
Bed nets can protect people from being bitten by the mosquitoes that spread malaria. The WHO report found that about three-quarters of nets provided by donors have been distributed, but there are major gaps in some of the worst-hit countries.
Authorities in Nigeria, for example, gave out just over half their nets, while Congo distributed about 42% of theirs.
Officials also raised concerns about a new invasive mosquito species that thrives in cities, is resistant to many pesticides, and could undo years of progress against malaria.
The invasive species has not yet significantly contributed to the continent’s overall malaria burden, but the insects are likely responsible for a recent spike in parts of the horn of Africa, Noor said.
The WHO highlighted that lower funding due to the pandemic and rising costs have increased pressure on national malaria programs.
Funding in 2021 came in at nearly US$3.5bn, the report said. This marked an increase from the two previous years but fell far short of the US$7.3bn estimated to be required globally to stay on track to defeat the disease.
Looking forward, the WHO noted a number of promising developments, including the first malaria vaccine, RTS,S which has already been given to more than a million children and will become widely available next year.
The WHO also stressed that huge challenges remained, including insufficient numbers of bed nets – which can protect people from being bitten by the mosquitoes that spread malaria – and the greater spread of parasite-bearing mosquitoes.
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