Reports from the Epidemiology Department at the Ministry of Health (MINSA), indicated that as many as 1,922 cases of malaria, a disease caused by the Plasmodium parasite and transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito, were reported nationwide through March 7.

The surge in malaria-infected patients is multifactorial but mainly due to a decrease in compliance with programs caused by lockdown measures imposed when Covid-19 outbreaks, MINSA said.

Given the healthcare crisis since 2020, health personnel was impossible to take on or to acquire supplies, as national budget was allocated to fight off the coronavirus pandemic.

Researcher and entomologist Lorenzo Cáceres told reporters that an annual average of 646 malaria cases were reported in the last ten years through 2018. A yearly average of 3,764 has been registered from 2019 to date.

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