Published on: 12 November 2021

Maintaining Essential Services for Malaria in Low-Resource Countries

In 2019, more than 229 million persons developed malaria, leading to approximately 409,000 deaths worldwide. Over 95% of these deaths occurred in the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region [1], where malaria is a leading cause of death. While the past decade has seen a reduction in malaria incidence, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, to maintain these gains, countries must focus on malaria control in addition to addressing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Modelling analysis by WHO and partners suggests that if essential malaria interventions are greatly disrupted due to COVID-19 challenges, the number of malaria cases will significantly increase, and death rates could double [2]. Ministries of Health and National Malaria Control Programs (NMCPs) should implement malaria prevention and treatment activities in a manner that also protects patients, health care providers, and public health officials from COVID-19. Below are key considerations for continuing essential malaria prevention and control activities safely and effectively. These should supplement country Ministry of Health guidance.