According to the World Health Organization (WHO), progresses have been recently stagnated regarding critical targets in the global technical strategy to fight off malaria, particularly in countries with a high burden of the disease.

WHO´s estimates reported 608,000 malaria-related deaths and 249 million new global cases in 2022, with African young children as the most affected ones.

Meanwhile, experts warned that millions of people still do not receive medical services they need to prevent, detect and treat malaria.

Plus, progress in global malaria control has been hampered by resource constraints, humanitarian crises, climate change and biological threats including drug and insecticide resistance.

Dr. Daniel Ngamije, director of the Global Malaria Program, noted that a change in the global response to malaria is urgently needed to thwart preventable deaths and reach the goals outlined in the malaria strategy.

“This change should seek to address the root causes of the disease and focus on accessibility, efficiency, sustainability, equity and integration,” the expert said. The new strategy outlines four major goals on which WHO will be fosussing its efforts on: the development of regulations and standards, introduction of new tools and innovation, promotion of strategic information for impact, and the technical leadership of the global response to malaria.

omr/npg/lpn