Malaria is preventable and curable, yet millions of children die each year from this disease.
World Malaria Day, marked each year on 25 April, is an occasion to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained commitment for malaria prevention and control. The day provides the opportunity for the world to pause, reflect and take strategic actions to eliminate Malaria.
According to the latest WHO World Malaria Report, released on 30 November 2020 [i]
- In 2019, there were an estimated 229 million cases of Malaria worldwide. The disease claimed 409 000 lives in 2021 compared to 411 000 lives in 2018. Children under the age of five are especially vulnerable; every two minutes, a child dies from this preventable and curable disease – In 2019, they accounted for 67% (274 000) of all malaria deaths worldwide.
- Although a lot of progress has been made over the last decade, Africa still holds over 90% of the overall disease burden – In 2019, six African countries accounted for 50% of all malaria cases globally: Nigeria (23%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (11%), United Republic of Tanzania (five%), and Niger (4%), Mozambique (4%) and Burkina Faso (4%)
Ghana is among the 15 highest-burden malaria countries in the world ii. Among children aged 6-59 months, the Malaria Indicator Survey 2016, reported Malaria parasite prevalence from as low as 4.8% in the Greater Accra region to as high as 31.1% in the Eastern region. iii Despite the remarkable progress made in driving down malaria cases and deaths over the last two decades, progress in recent years has levelled off, and many high burden countries are losing ground. The COVID-pandemic in 2020 emerged as an additional challenge to malaria responses worldwide. More targeted interventions and resources, particularly in countries like Ghana, where the disease is predominant, will help to accelerate the progress towards the elimination of Malaria.
Reinforcing Progress
Domestic funding for Malaria has stagnated over the last decade. In 2019, governments of malaria-endemic countries contributed about 31% of malaria funding, with investments of approximately USD900 million in 2019 versus the USD2.1 billion that came from international funders.
More targeted interventions, awareness programs, and increased funding in the fight against Malaria will help strengthen health systems and boost the economy in the most endemic communities so that they are better prepared to respond to the threats posed by this disease.
Ghana has been implementing a combination of preventive and curative interventions as outlined in the Strategic Plan for Malaria Control in Ghana, 2014 – 2020 by the National Malaria Control Programme Ghana .iv The Programme subscribes to the T3 initiative (Test, Treat and Track) initiative which seeks to ensure that every suspected malaria case is tested, that every case tested positive is treated with the recommended quality-assured antimalarial medicine, and that the disease is tracked through timely and accurate reporting to guide policy formulation and operational decisions iv .These processes if strictly adhered to, will help uncover the true malaria burden in Ghana and contribute to the appropriate management of other causes of febrile illnesses. Ultimately, this will reduce the unnecessary exposure of patients to anti-malaria medicines and curtail the emerging threat of anti-malarial drug resistance.
For more than two decades, Novartis has been active in the fight against Malaria, through leadership in Research and Development, as well as working to continue ensuring access to treatment and strengthening integrated community care.
Investments in the fight to end malaria expand access to quality healthcare by increasing capacity of health workers, strengthening supply chain management systems, building real-time surveillance and data management infrastructure, and reinforcing monitoring and evaluation.
To ensure innovative products reach the patients in need, as quickly as possible, there is a need to strengthen in-country clinical trial systems and regulatory authorities. Also, the emerging threat of resistance demands urgent action to develop new medicines with novel and distinct mechanisms of action. Novartis has delivered nearly 1 billion treatments, including more than 430 million paediatric treatments. Together with partners, Novartis is working on next-generation treatments. Beyond treatment, the company is helping to build clinical trial infrastructure in Africa and other malaria-endemic regions, as well as supporting a new generation of local scientists. vi
As the world commemorates World Malaria Day, this is a call to action for leaders across Africa and the rest of the world, to reinforce their commitments in drawing the line against this preventable and treatable disease in achieving a malaria-free world, because the patient cannot wait.
References
[i] World Malaria Report 2020 – https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240015791
ii Malaria in Ghana: Statistics & Facts | Severe Malaria Observatory https://www.severemalaria.org/countries/ghana#:~:text=With%203%25%20of%20global%20malaria,of%20the%20population%20at%20risk).
iii Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), Ghana Health Service (GHS), and IHF.2017 Ghana Malaria Indicator Survey 2016. Accra, Ghana, and Rockville, Maryland, USA: GSS, GHS, and ICF. -https://www2.statsghana.gov.gh/docfiles/publications/MIS26.pdf
iv Guidelines for case management of malaria in Ghana, Ministry of health Ghana Health Service, 4th edition March, 2020.
The World Malaria Report 2019 https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/world-malaria-report-2019
vi www.novartis.com/our-impact/malaria