Fostering sustainable malaria prevention and elimination in Africa

Abstract

Despite that malaria has been controlled in many parts of the world, sub-Saharan Africa remains the epi-centre of the disease. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that in year 2020, about 241 million cases of malaria and 627 malaria-related deaths were reported in various parts of the world1 . Of these, the African region accounted for 95% of the cases, and 96% of the deaths. Children less than five years of age accounted for over 80% of malaria deaths in the continent. Furthermore, available evidence indicate that the majority of cases of malaria and deaths are concentrated in a few high-burden and hyper-endemic countries in Africa. These include (in alphabetical order) Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda. To date, WHO data1 indicate that four African countries account for over 50% of all malaria deaths worldwide, and these include Nigeria (31.9%), the Demographic Republic of the Congo (13.2%), Tanzania (4.1%), and Mozambique (3.8%). Although the WHO Global Technical Strategy for Malaria targets the elimination malaria in 35 countries by 20302 , it is increasingly becoming evident that unless urgent steps are taken in African countries, this milestone will be difficult to achieve. Malaria is caused by the transmission of various species of the parasite plasmodium by female anopheles mosquitoes that grow in unhygienic and poorly regulated environments. The scientific methods for malaria prevention and control are well known. These include environmental management, vector control, preventive chemotherapy, and case management. The recent discovery of a malaria vaccine in October 20211 has added to the scientific armamentaria for the control of malaria.