The international community must redouble its efforts to finance the fight against malaria, which continues to kill hundreds of thousands each year, mainly in Africa, and countless children.
The World Health Organization (WHO) nevertheless welcomed a stabilization of infections and deaths in 2021 after a catastrophic 2020.
The Covid-19 pandemic then completely disrupted prevention, protection and care campaigns.
But in its new annual report, the WHO also highlighted the major challenges that remain to be overcome: lack of money, the potential effect of climate change and mutations in the parasite that causes malaria and make it more resistant to treatment. .
According to the UN organization, the world is “out of the trajectory” which was to reduce infections and deaths by 90% by 2030 compared to 2015. To get back on track, it would take double funding, WHO insists.
Last year, total funding for the fight against malaria was $3.5 billion. This represents an increase over the previous two years, but is well below the $7.3 billion required.
However, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is optimistic: “By strengthening the response, understanding and mitigating risks, building resilience and accelerating research, there is every reason to dream. of a malaria-free future. »
– Africa, martyred continent –
Africa, with 95% of infections and 96% of deaths, is on the front line.
After a spectacular drop in the number of deaths between 2000 and 2019, they rebounded by 10% to 625,000 in 2020 before falling slightly again last year (619,000 deaths).
Meanwhile, there were 2 million more infections, to 247 million.
The WHO has praised the fact that many countries have managed to maintain and even increase malaria testing and treatment during the pandemic, despite supply chain and logistics challenges.
In 2020, countries distributed record numbers of insecticide-treated bed nets, which are the primary tool for controlling malaria-carrying mosquitoes, and maintained strong distributions last year.
Countries where malaria is endemic have also distributed record numbers of tests.
– Vaccine –
The arrival of a first vaccine has also come to comfort those who are leading the fight against this disease: RTS,S, which has already been administered to more than one million children and will be widely available next year.
Abdisalan Noor, from the WHO’s Global Malaria Programme, said it was still too early to say how many lives the vaccine could save.
But “we expect a huge impact on serious illness and death,” he told reporters.
In addition to funds, huge challenges remain.
“Malaria is not a stagnant disease,” said Peter Sands, director of the Global Fund, which provides 63% of all international funding for malaria programs.
“Parasites evolve to resist treatments, and mosquitoes adapt to resist insecticides or bite their victims earlier in the day,” he said in a statement, warning that “climate change is extending the geographic reach of malaria to areas previously considered safe. »
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