Malaria deaths decline in 2021 after rising in first year of COVID, WHO says by Health & Fitness Journal

©Health & Fitness Journal. FILE PHOTO: A logo is pictured in front of a World Health Organization (WHO) building in Geneva, Switzerland April 6, 2021. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

By Pratik Jain

(Health & Fitness Journal) – Malaria-related deaths in 2021 fell slightly in 2021 after a sharp spike in the first year of COVID-19, but remained higher than the pre-pandemic figure, according to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday.

Estimated deaths from malaria worldwide fell from 625,000 in 2020 to 619,000 last year as health services stabilized after pandemic-related disruptions, particularly in Africa, where the disease is most prevalent, WHO said in its 2022 World Malaria Report.

However, the number of deaths remained higher than the estimated 568,000 in 2019.

Four countries – Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger and Tanzania – accounted for just over half of all malaria deaths worldwide in 2021. However, all four, along with seven other countries, “held the line,” the United Nations agency said.

The drop in deaths comes even as the number of malaria infections has continued to rise, albeit more slowly, to an estimated 247 million in 2021. This compares to 245 million cases in 2020 and 232 million in 2019.

WHO also stressed that reduced funding due to the pandemic and rising costs have increased pressure on national malaria programs.

Funding in 2021 totaled nearly $3.5 billion, compared to a required $7.3 billion investment, according to the report.

However, these programs continued to ensure that the worst-case scenario was prevented, particularly in relation to the distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets – the key prevention tool.

“Indeed, 2020 was a record year globally, with almost 300 million nets distributed across all channels, despite all the significant challenges countries were facing,” said Dr. Abdisalan Noor from the WHO Global Malaria Program during a briefing with journalists.