Pandemic Foil Fights Malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa: WHO

The World Health Organization announced on Monday that a coronavirus pandemic has hampered decades of progress against deadly parasitic diseases, disrupted medical services and caused tens of thousands of malaria-related deaths worldwide. Did.

According to the WHO’s latest Global Malaria Report, there will be an estimated 241 million malaria cases and 627,000 associated deaths worldwide in 2020, 14 million more cases and 69,000 more than in 2019. There was a death. Of these additional deaths, about two-thirds (47,000) were associated with disruption of malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment mechanisms, with the majority occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. Found.

Nonetheless, WHO officials expressed some relief that the “worst scenario” predicted by the organization did not come true.

“The first message is a good news message,” said Dr. Pedro Alonso, director of the WHO Global Malaria Program, in a statement. “Thanks to urgent and energetic efforts, the world has managed to avoid the worst-case scenario of malaria death.”

According to the organization, early in the pandemic, WHO predicted that malaria deaths could double in 2020, but emergency measures implemented in many countries have made this worst-case scenario possible. It was avoided.

Sub-Saharan Africa will account for about 95% of all malaria cases, 96% of all associated deaths and about 80% of childhood deaths in 2020, according to the report. ..

Studies have shown that the increase in malaria-related mortality was due to the combined effects of a pandemic and the time of the pandemic. Significant progress was made in the fight against the disease between 2000 and 2017 (case incidence decreased by 27% and mortality decreased by 51%), but progress peaked by the end of that period. became. ..

“Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, global interests in malaria were flat,” WHO Secretary-General Tedros Adhanomgebreyes said in a statement, nations avoiding the doomsday scenario. Acknowledged the efforts taken to do so.

Despite pandemic-related challenges, about three-quarters of pesticide-treated mosquito nets had been distributed to malaria endemic countries by the end of 2020, according to the report. Thirteen countries in the Sahel region of Africa were able to provide prophylactic antimalarial drugs to 11.8 million children during the rainy season in 2020 compared to 2019.

WHO also acknowledged an “impressive reduction” in malaria cases in six countries in the Greater Mekong region of Southeast Asia, while China and El Salvador were certified by the organization as malaria-free in 2021 and Iran 3 He pointed out that the number of indigenous cases was reduced to zero for the year in a row. In 2020.

“Now we need to use the same energy and commitment to reverse the setbacks caused by the pandemic and accelerate the pace of progress towards this disease,” Ghebreyesus said.

However, despite all these achievements, the report reports that the number of malaria-related deaths in the WHO Africa region surged 12% in 2020 compared to the previous year.

To build on previous profits, WHO called on countries to ensure more equitable access to all health services by strengthening primary health care and promoting national and international investment. According to the report, the current level of funding (about $ 3.3 billion in 2020) will more than triple to $ 10.3 billion annually by 2030.

The organization also pointed out innovation as “an important strategy to accelerate progress”, and in October WHO announced a new “RTS, S” for children living in sub-Saharan Africa to reduce the spread of malaria. He pointed out that he started recommending vaccines.

“African countries have gathered together to challenge and avoid the worst predictions of fallout from COVID-19, but the pandemic knock-on effect still kills thousands of people in malaria,” said Africa. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director, said in a statement. .. “The African government and its partners need to step up their efforts to ensure that they do not lose any further evidence of this preventable disease.”