BOTSWANA —Amidst the backdrop of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa, senior health officials, donors, and development partners have united to address a pressing concern: the relentless impact of malaria, a disease that continues to claim nearly 600,000 lives in the region.
The conference emerges at a pivotal juncture, with the battle against malaria facing an unprecedented convergence of funding challenges and biological threats.
The global canvas of malaria’s devastation in 2021 reveals 247 million afflicted individuals and a death toll of 619,000, with a staggering 96% of fatalities originating in Africa—mostly among vulnerable groups like children and pregnant women.
While substantial strides have been made in curbing the incidence and mortality of malaria in Africa over the last two decades, this trajectory has encountered setbacks in at least 13 countries and plateaued in several others, particularly since 2015.
Africa is grappling with an intricate web of challenges. The financial turmoil induced by the global economic crisis is inflating the cost of deploying vital malaria interventions.
Simultaneously, biological adversaries like insecticide and drug resistance, parasites sidestepping rapid diagnostic tests, and the infiltration of new vector species that amplify transmission in urban landscapes are impeding progress.
Moreover, the ramifications of climate change—ranging from intensified flooding to cyclones—are reshaping vector distribution and altering the dynamics of malaria transmission.
Resourcing the battle
An appraisal of the 2022 World Malaria Report paints a sobering picture: the collective mobilization of countries and partners only reached around 50% of the estimated US$7.3 billion needed globally to stay on course for defeating malaria.
Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, asserts, “Beyond bridging the immediate funding gap, our focus should encompass securing resources to entirely eradicate malaria.
“It’s crucial to galvanize additional funding, including from domestic sources within countries’ public and private sectors, to prevent the erosion of hard-fought progress.”
The ministerial discussions embarked on a quest to unearth various avenues for bolstering malaria eradication efforts.
Among these is the proposal to establish National End Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases councils and Funds, a stratagem designed to elevate malaria on the national development and financial agendas.
Participants also sought pathways to augment resource allocations within domestic budgets for healthcare, particularly the fight against malaria.
Aiming to optimize World Bank funding mechanisms, the focus centered on allocating resources to primary healthcare delivery platforms, including malaria, in a bid to enhance integration.
This, in turn, would position malaria as a cornerstone for fortifying healthcare systems, pandemic readiness, and addressing the health repercussions of climate change.
The significance of continued backing from committed donors like the United States Agency for International Development and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was also underscored, recognizing their pivotal role in the collective endeavor to combat malaria.
Anchoring on global frameworks
Underpinning these endeavors are overarching frameworks that provide a roadmap for progress. The Global Technical Strategy for malaria 2016–2030 outlines funding projections for achieving milestones in 2025 and 2030.
The urgency of the situation is underscored by the WHO’s global strategy falling short by an estimated 48%.
The onus now rests on each member state to mobilize resources, ensuring universal access to malaria services—saving lives and advancing Sustainable Development Goal 3.
The Global Technical Strategy, endorsed through the African Regional Framework for the control, eradication, and elimination of tropical and vector-borne diseases, and the as well as the Catalytic Framework to End AIDS, TB, and Eliminate Malaria endorsed by the Heads of State and Government of Africa, encourage governments to provide leadership and commit to the achievement of global and national targets.
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