Climate change threatens progress against malaria, countries warn at World Health Assembly

The fight against malaria faces urgent new challenges as climate change and extreme weather threaten to undo decades of progress, several countries have warned. 77th World Health Assembly this week.

“Recent extreme weather events, including floods in Malawi and other countries, have exacerbated malaria transmission, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations,” World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the General Assembly on Thursday.

France, a leader in malaria efforts, expressed concern over the lack of funding for malaria control and called for its incorporation into national health plans, stressing that the need for funds is even more urgent as climate change “increasingly affects health systems, making them more fragile”.

“We wish to underline the importance of the One Health approach and the vital role of community health workers in local surveillance and awareness regarding malaria,” the delegation said.

Costa Rica warned that the introduction of new parasite species that cause malaria due to climate change also puts temporary migrant populations at particular risk. “We consider it essential that international organizations take these variables into account when allocating resources to address public health issues and migration within and outside the region,” the country's delegation said.

Colombia expressed similar concerns, noting that “rapidly changing ecosystems are increasing vulnerabilities and creating new malaria transmission dynamics,” a problem exacerbated by “increasing migration patterns.”

Eliminate malaria

Despite the challenges, several countries, including Egypt, Ecuador and Malawi, renewed their commitment to eradicating malaria. Papua New Guinea said partnerships are essential to malaria control efforts, which focus on prevention, diagnosis, treatment and community engagement.

Malawi is implementing a plan to eliminate malaria by 2030, and Cape Verde recently became malaria-free, joining just 43 countries worldwide that have achieved this milestone and been certified by the WHO.

The WHO has adopted a multifaceted strategy to combat malaria, which includes: New Guidelines Dr. Jerome Salomon, the U.N. assistant executive director for universal health coverage, infectious and noncommunicable diseases, on Thursday urged countries to prioritize interventions in resource-limited settings and to focus on emerging threats such as antimicrobial resistance.

Reflecting on the achievements of malaria-free countries, Salomon said key strategies to accelerate progress include introducing new tools, such as malaria vaccines, and ensuring wider access to existing tools.

“Recent extreme weather events, such as floods in Malawi and other countries, have exacerbated malaria transmission and disproportionately affected vulnerable populations,” Salomon said, emphasizing the urgency of addressing climate change through aggressive mitigation, adaptation and research.

He added that investment in basic health care is essential, as are efforts to address the multiple factors that affect malaria transmission, including inequality, conflict, migration, the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.

Although new tools to combat malaria are becoming available, several challenges limit their use, particularly in Africa, said the representative of Chad, speaking for the 47 Member States of the WHO African Region. The biggest challenge, he said, is a lack of funding.

In a joint statement, African countries urged greater political commitment and self-reliance in tackling malaria, and called for more predictable international aid that is aligned with national policies.

Sudan stressed the importance of addressing security issues to enable widespread malaria control, while Guinea called on partners to continue supporting vaccination activities and help end recurrent malaria outbreaks.

Image credits: Who.