James Whiting
CEO, Malaria No More UK
Pregnant women, teenage girls and children remain disproportionately vulnerable to malaria.
Malaria is one of the world’s oldest, deadliest diseases, stealing young futures and claiming the life of a child every minute, despite being treatable, preventable and beatable.
The heavy human cost of malaria can be measured in the number of each and every life lost and the many more that are diminished, with the latest World Malaria Report revealing 241 million cases and 627,000 deaths worldwide in 2020 – the highest number of deaths in nearly a decade.
Malaria deaths are increasing
Tragically, millions of pregnant women, adolescent girls and young children remain disproportionately vulnerable to malaria, with the disease cited as the third highest cause of death in teenage girls aged 15-19 in sub-Saharan Africa in 2019.
Despite substantial efforts to continue malaria services during COVID-19, disruptions resulted in an additional 47,000 malaria deaths in 2020 and, with the impacts of the pandemic ongoing, so too are disruptions to healthcare. The pandemic has also weakened economies and exacerbated already-fragile health systems which paints an even darker picture for the health of women and children going forward.
Limited access to preventable treatment
In 2020, a staggering 11.6 million pregnant women contracted malaria across sub-Saharan Africa, and more than two-thirds of eligible women across 33 African countries did not receive the full course of preventive malaria treatment (IPTp-SP) recommended by the World Health Organization.
In 2020, a staggering 11.6 million pregnant women contracted malaria across sub-Saharan Africa.
Malaria in pregnancy has been associated with maternal anaemia, exposing the mother to an increased risk of death before, during and after childbirth. The dangers are also substantial for the newborn child, including low birth weight which can impact growth and cognitive development.
Achieving key global malaria targets
One third of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria’s investment goes towards building inclusive health systems, ensuring that women and girls have access to quality health services for malaria and sexual and reproductive health. This helps boost progress toward key global malaria targets and supports many of the Sustainable Development Goals including fighting poverty, improving gender equality and universal health.
The Global Fund’s seventh replenishment target this Autumn is to raise at least USD 18 billion to fight the three diseases, which would save 20 million lives, cut the malaria death rate by 64% and build a healthier, more equitable world, making the UK’s financial commitment to ending malaria more critical than ever.
Malaria is a disease that this generation can end, but only if we act now.