* 11m malaria related deaths were averted in 21 years
Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that Nigeria is not among the eight countries in Africa expected to meet the 2025 Global Technical Strategy target on malaria incidence reduction.
The world body said that in terms of reduction in malaria incidence, “eight countries — Cabo Veremde, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Mauritania, Rwanda, South Africa and Zimbabwe — are on track to meet the 2025 Global Technical Strategy target”.
It expressed worry that malaria deaths have remained unacceptably high and that cases have continued to increase since 2015.
In her message to mark this year’s World Malaria Day on Tuesday, WHO African Regional Director, Dr. Matsidisho Moeti, said that the African region alone accounted for an estimated 234 million malaria cases and 593,000 deaths, thus bearing the heaviest burden of over 95 per cent of cases and 96 per cent of deaths globally.
While giving an update on the progress made at tackling the malaria scourge in Africa, Moeti said that about eight countries are on the verge of achieving the 2025 target, while 15 countries have achieved insufficient reduction, with 20 others witnessing stagnation or increase in cases.
In the message read on her behalf by the WHO Country Director, Dr. Walter Molumbo, in Abuja, Moeti further said that more than 1.6 billion malaria cases and 11 million malaria deaths were averted in the WHO African Region from 2000-2021.
She regretted that 10 countries saw increases in malaria deaths, adding that the pace of progress must be accelerated in order to achieve the set targets for 2025 and 2030.
While congratulating member states and development partners for achievements over the last year, Moeti said: “We are greatly concerned that malaria deaths remain unacceptably high, and cases have continued to increase since 2015.
“WHO African Region alone accounted, in 2021, for an estimated 234 million malaria cases and 593,000 deaths, thus bearing the heaviest burden of over 95 of cases and 96 per cent of deaths globally.
“Our region, therefore, continues to be hardest hit by this deadly disease partly because too many people do not have access to preventive and curative interventions.
“Nearly 30 per cent of the population in most African countries cannot access essential health services and most people face unacceptably high expenditures on health care. Significant inequities affect the most vulnerable, young children and women, whereas about 80 per cent of malaria cases and deaths occur in children under five.”
In order to reverse the trend and accelerate progress, Moeti said that countries must rethink and revitalize their strategies by investing, innovating and implementing smartly.
She suggested that increased investments in funding for malaria interventions through primary health care approaches should be intensified so that malaria services are accessed by the most vulnerable populations wherever they are.
Moeti further stated that the endemic countries and partners were only able to mobilize 50 percent of the estimated $7.3 billion required globally to stay on track to defeat malaria.
“We, therefore, call on our member states to keep malaria high on their agendas as they allocate resources to health,” she said.
On innovation, the WHO scribe said there was a great need to increase the number and efficacy of control tools and strategies so that interventions could have a greater impact.
She said WHO recently prequalified new dual active ingredient insecticide-treated nets and several insecticides for indoor residual spraying.
Also, Moeti revealed that the new RTSS vaccine deployment has been extended beyond the three initial countries, adding that several other innovative products are in the pipeline.
She added that new tools and strategies were needed to address the threats of drug resistance, insecticide resistance, and new invasive vectors compromising gains in vector control.
With regard to checking the drug resistance, Moeti said that the organisation recently launched two strategies to support countries in the African continent in building a more resilient response to malaria.
These, according to him, include strategy to curb antimalarial drug resistance and an initiative to stop the spread of the new invasive Anopheles stephensi malaria vector – a dangerous vector that breeds in urban areas and has the potential of increasing transmission.
Moeti said that going forward, WHO is going to prioritize reaching of marginalized populations with the available tools and strategies to reduce transmission for present and future gains.
