Releasing its 2023 World Malaria Report as nations gather at the United Nations climate change conference, COP28, the health agency warned that despite expanding access to malaria prevention, more people are getting sick with the disease.
The WHO documented 249 million cases in 2022, an increase of two million from 2021 and surpassing the pre-pandemic level of 233 million in 2016.
Link between malaria and climate change
This is mainly due to COVID-19-induced public health disruptions, humanitarian crises, drug and insecticide resistance, and the impacts of global warming.
“The changing climate poses a substantial risk to progress against malaria, particularly in vulnerable regions,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
“Sustainable and resilient responses to malaria are needed now more than ever, along with urgent actions to slow the pace of global warming and reduce its effects,” he added.
Pakistan quintupled
The report also delved into the link between climate change and malaria, pointing to behavioral changes and increased survival rates of the Anopheles mosquito due to increased temperature, humidity and rainfall.
Extreme weather events, such as heat waves and floods, can also directly impact disease transmission and burden. For example, the catastrophic 2022 floods in Pakistan caused malaria cases to increase five-fold in the country, the agency said.
Significant increases were also seen in Ethiopia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea and Uganda.
Cascading impacts
The WHO also stated that climate variability may have indirect effects on malaria trends, due to factors such as reduced access to essential malaria services and disruptions in the supply chain of insecticide-treated bed nets, medicines and vaccines.
Climate change-related population displacement could also lead to an increase in malaria cases as people without immunity migrate to endemic areas.
Other factors
While climate change poses a significant risk, the WHO also stressed the need to recognize a multitude of other threats.
“Climate variability poses a substantial risk, but we must also address challenges such as limited access to healthcare, ongoing conflicts and emergencies, the lingering effects of COVID-19 on service delivery, inadequate financing and implementation of our main malaria interventions,” said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa.
“To move towards a malaria-free future, we need a concerted effort to address these diverse threats that encourages innovation, resource mobilization and collaborative strategies,” he added.
A health worker in Kenya holds vials of malaria vaccine that will be administered in a vaccination campaign.
Reasons for optimism
The report also cited achievements such as the gradual implementation of the first WHO-recommended malaria vaccine, RTS,S/AS01, in three African countries.
According to the WHO, a rigorous evaluation has shown a substantial reduction in severe malaria and a 13 percent drop in early childhood deaths from all causes in areas where the vaccine has been administered compared to areas where it has not. has been administered.
Additionally, a second safe and effective malaria vaccine, R21/Matrix-M, was approved last month, which is expected to increase supply and enable large-scale vaccine deployment in Africa, where most cases are concentrated. .
Next steps
The WHO highlighted the need for a “substantial turn” in the fight against malaria, with increased resources, strengthened political commitment, data-driven strategies and innovation focused on the development of more efficient, effective and affordable products.
“The additional threat of climate change demands sustainable and resilient responses to malaria that align with efforts to reduce the effects of climate change. The participation of the entire society is crucial to building integrated approaches,” she urged.
