Malaria cases grew by 11M in 2023 from year before, says World Health Organization

By Peter Kenny

GENEVA (AA) - An estimated 263 million malaria cases and 597,000 deaths were reported worldwide in 2023, nearly the same number of fatalities but 11 million more cases compared to 2022, according to a report released Wednesday by the World Health Organization.

Around 95% of the deaths occurred in the WHO African Region, with many people who are at risk still lacking access to the services they need to prevent, detect, and treat the disease, according to the global malaria report by the world health body.

New WHO data reveals that an estimated 2.2 billion cases of malaria and 12.7 million deaths have been averted since 2000, yet the disease remains a serious global health threat, particularly in the WHO African Region.

"No one should die of malaria; yet the disease continues to disproportionately harm people living in the African region, especially young children and pregnant women," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general, said in a statement on Wednesday.

"An expanded package of lifesaving tools now offers better protection against the disease, but stepped-up investments and action in high-burden African countries are needed to curb the threat," Tedros noted.

As of November this year, 44 countries and one territory had been certified malaria-free by WHO, and many more are progressing toward the goal, the WHO report said.

Of the 83 malaria-endemic countries, 25 now report fewer than 10 cases a year, an increase from four countries in 2000, it added.

Since 2015, the WHO African Region has also achieved a 16% reduction in its malaria mortality rate, it also said.

However, the estimated 2023 mortality rate of 52.4 deaths per 100,000 population at risk is still more than double the target level of 23 deaths per 100,000 population set by the health body's Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030, the report noted, adding that the progress needs to be accelerated.

- 11 African countries

Earlier this year, health ministers from 11 African countries that account for two-thirds of the global malaria burden -- Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, and Uganda -- signed a declaration.

They pledged to sustainably and equitably lower the disease burden and address the root causes by strengthening national health systems, enhancing coordination, and ensuring the strategic use of information, among other actions.

However, funding for malaria control globally remains inadequate to reverse current trends, especially in high-burden African countries.

In 2023, the total funding reached an estimated $4 billion, falling far short of the year’s funding target of $8.3 billion set by the WHO's global technical strategy.