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... Calls for concerted efforts to tackle the surge
Leaders at the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA, have predicted that malaria resurgence may claim 337,000 people if concerted efforts were not made to tackle the surge.
They called for urgent increased funding for malaria prevention to tackle the new cases of malaria and deaths.
They affirmed that failure to exercise caution could lead to a resurgence of the disease within the next five years resulting in an additional 137.2 million malaria cases and up to 337,000 deaths between 2027 and 2029.
Following concerns from new modelling conducted by the Malaria Atlas Project, world leaders said threats to lives loomed if current funding levels were maintained, resulting in 112 million more cases and 280,000 deaths due to malaria.
Malaria has remained a global health concern, hence, the critical importance of sustained efforts to combat the deadly disease remains sacrosanct.
The World Health Organisation reports that there were already nearly 250 million malaria cases and over 600,000 deaths annually, primarily affecting young children and impoverished countries.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, one of the primary sources of funding for the control and elimination of AIDS, TB, and malaria, is funded largely by governments, and pools the world’s resources to fight the three diseases, raising and investing money in three-year cycles known as replenishments.
According to the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, “From the new models, if there is a flatlining of malaria resources (with the Global Fund Replenishment) again achieving approximately $15.6 billion in total and allocations across the three diseases remaining at par with the current cycle), the world could see an additional 112 million malaria cases and up to 280,700 additional deaths across the three years, with upsurges and outbreaks happening right across the continent of Africa.”
The RBM partnership said the situation will be even worse if the total Global Fund Replenishment sees a cut to resources and takes funding away from malaria.
“In the event of a lower replenishment of $11 billion, and a reduction in the malaria allocation, the modelling forecasts we can expect an estimated 137.2 million additional malaria cases and up to 337,000 additional malaria deaths.
“The world is already facing insufficient funds based on the current cycle. There is an estimated gap of more than $1.5 billion to sustain services at 2023 levels; but with the new challenges we are facing, even this will not be enough to get the fight against malaria back on track.
The new projections were raised by President Umaro Sissocco Embaló at a fireside chat titled “Confronting the Malaria Perfect Storm”, convened by the African Leaders Malaria Alliance, where they expressed concerns that malaria will quickly resurge if appropriate action is not taken in this Replenishment cycle.
Chief Executive Officer, RBM Partnership to End Malaria, Dr Michael Charles, said, “The evidence is clear that there is a significant risk of malaria epidemics if funding isn’t increased it will be difficult to deliver critical malaria prevention services.
“Unlike HIV and TB, malaria is concentrated in lower-income countries, particularly across Africa, so often these countries have the least ability to afford the fight. Everyone, no matter where they live, has a right to health. Malaria is straining health systems and making it difficult for people in low-income countries to fully enjoy their right to health.”
“We already know malaria will impact women and young children hardest, as they are disproportionately affected by the disease. It will also push more people into poverty and overwhelm already fragile health systems, with economic consequences that will ripple across the world.
“We simply cannot afford to let this happen. The world has a duty to ensure our most vulnerable populations are not further disadvantaged and to do this we need to ensure the right funding is in place, starting with the global fund replenishment.”
The ongoing fight against malaria faces significant challenges that threaten to undermine current efforts as anti-malarial drug resistance moved on an upward projectory price, making interventions effort difficult.
This challenge however called for increased funding to combat the disease.
