Malaria deaths down for second year in a row, says WHO
608,000 is the number of people who died from malaria in 2022, according to the WHO's 2023 annual report. While the number of deaths has fallen for the second year in a row, the number of cases continues to rise. And once again, it is Africa that is particularly affected.
608,000 is the number of people who died from malaria in 2022. © Shutterstock/mycteria
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Of the 608,000 malaria deaths, 580,000, or 95%, occurred on the African continent. Of these, nearly 8 out of 10 are deaths of children under the age of five. Five states are particularly affected: Nigeria, DRC, Uganda, Mozambique and Niger.
The WHO points to the Covid-19 pandemic and security crises, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, which have "disrupted" mobilization campaigns.
On a rare positive note, the World Health Organization indicates that the mortality rate is nevertheless falling sharply on a continental scale: it fell from 140 to 55 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants between 2000 and 2022.
The UN organization believes that the large-scale deployment of two new vaccines will be crucial in the fight against malaria.
Malaria and climate change
And as COP28 is being held, the organization is finally pointing to the link between the development of the disease and global warming. "More than ever, the response to malaria is sustainable and resilient, coupled with urgent action to slow the rate of global warming and mitigate its effects," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stressing that action is all the more urgent in the most vulnerable regions.
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Climate variability generates considerable risk," says the WHO, based on a concrete case. According to her, the floods in Pakistan in 2022 increased the number of malaria cases in the country fivefold.
Read alsoMalaria: innovations in the face of parasite resistance
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