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Climate change threat driving increase in malaria cases, according to WHO’s annual malaria report
The World Health Organization has released its annual malaria report, which found despite expanding access to medicines, vaccines and other preventative measures, more people were still contracting malaria.
The 2023 World malaria report explored how the changing climate can influence the behaviour of malaria carrying mosquitoes, while extreme weather events such as flooding can increase transmission and disease burden.
Climate variability also interrupts the supply chain of insecticide-treated nets, medicines and vaccines, while population displacement can lead to increases in the disease when people without immunity migrate to endemic areas. The report also cites conflict and humanitarian crises, resource constraints and biological challenges as threats to the response to malaria.
The report found there were an extra five million malaria cases in 2022, with Pakistan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea and Uganda bearing the brunt. WHO claimed there were grounds for optimism, with the RTS,S/A01 vaccine rollout in Africa showing reductions in severe malaria and early childhood deaths.
To read the full report, click here: World malaria report 2023 (who.int)