Funding cuts, climate change threaten gains against malaria, WHO warns

Global progress against malaria at risk despite new life-saving tools

GENEVA: The latest World Malaria Report from the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that despite significant gains driven by malaria vaccines and innovative prevention tools, global progress is now under threat due to funding cuts, climate change, rising drug resistance, and expanding mosquito habitats.

Malaria remains a major global health challenge, with 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths reported in 2024, the majority among young children in Africa.

New malaria tools saved one million lives in 2024

WHO reports that wider use of dual-ingredient mosquito nets and the scale-up of WHO-recommended malaria vaccines prevented 170 million cases and one million deaths last year.
Since WHO’s approval of the world’s first malaria vaccine in 2021, 24 countries have integrated malaria vaccines into routine immunization, marking a milestone in child health protection.

Prevention scale-up accelerates

• 54 million children received seasonal malaria chemoprevention in 2024 — up from just 200,000 in 2012.
• 47 countries and 1 territory are now malaria-free, with Cabo Verde and Egypt certified in 2024, and Georgia, Suriname, and Timor-Leste in 2025.

Growing threats: Drug resistance, climate impacts, and shrinking funding

Despite breakthroughs, the WHO warns that the malaria burden is increasing due to several converging risks.

Drug resistance rising across Africa

Evidence of partial resistance to artemisinin-based therapies — the cornerstone of global malaria treatment — has now been confirmed or suspected in at least 8 African countries.

Mosquito behaviour and vector resistance worsening

• Anopheles stephensi, an invasive, insecticide-resistant mosquito species, has now spread to 9
• African countries, intensifying the threat of urban malaria.
• Pyrethroid resistance is confirmed in 48 countries, reducing the effectiveness of standard mosquito nets.
• Parasites with pfhrp2 gene deletions are compromising rapid diagnostic tests.

Climate change driving new outbreaks

Extreme weather events, shifting rainfall patterns and rising temperatures are expanding mosquito habitats, triggering outbreaks in regions previously at low risk.

Funding cuts slowing interventions

Global malaria funding in 2024 reached USD 3.9 billion, far below the USD 9.3 billion annual target.

Cuts in Official Development Assistance (ODA) have led to:

• Delayed preventive campaigns
• Weakened surveillance systems
• Cancellation or postponement of malaria surveys
• Risk of medicine stock-outs

WHO warns these setbacks could reverse two decades of progress.

WHO calls for stronger political commitment, investment

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, emphasized that while new prevention tools offer hope, the world must urgently address funding gaps, treatment resistance, and climate-driven risks.

WHO urges endemic countries to reinforce commitments under the Yaoundé Declaration and accelerate action through the Big Push initiative, emphasizing that elimination remains achievable with focused leadership, innovation, and adequate resources.

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