Malaria death toll nears 600,000 globally, Africa hardest hit
Malaria claimed nearly 600,000 lives in 2023, with the vast majority of cases and fatalities occurring in Africa, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2024 World Malaria Report.
Published last December, the report estimated there were 263 million malaria cases globally in 2023, resulting in 597,000 deaths, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu Agency.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of people die from malaria, a mosquito-borne disease that remains a major global health challenge.
Malaria, caused by a parasite transmitted through bites by the female Anopheles mosquito, is described by WHO as a preventable and treatable disease.
Symptoms include fever, chills, headaches, fatigue, yellowing of the eyes and skin, seizures, and difficulty breathing.
Children under the age of five remain the most vulnerable group, accounting for 76% of all malaria-related deaths globally.
Africa remains the hardest-hit region, accounting for approximately 94% of global malaria cases and 95% of deaths in 2023. The continent reported 246 million infections last year.
More than half of all global cases occurred in just five African countries, including Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Mozambique.
An estimated 12.4 million pregnant women in 33 high-risk African countries contracted malaria in 2023. Targeted interventions are credited with preventing around 551,000 cases of low birth weight.
In the Americas, about 77 % of malaria cases were recorded in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and Bolivia. However, Argentina, Belize, El Salvador, and Paraguay have been certified malaria-free thanks to sustained low or zero transmission.
In the Eastern Mediterranean, 35.2 % of cases occurred in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Due to data gaps in Sudan, Yemen, and Somalia, accurate reporting is limited. Still, apart from Djibouti, Pakistan, Sudan, and Yemen, no malaria deaths were reported in the region in 2023.
Europe has remained malaria-free since 2015.
Southeast Asia accounted for 1.5 % of global cases, with India alone responsible for half of the region’s infections.
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