By Joke Kujenya
MILLIONS MORE people fell ill with malaria in 2024, even as some countries marked major victories in the fight against the disease, the latest World Malaria Report (WMR) reveals.
JKNewsMedia.com reports that Georgia, Suriname and Timor Leste were certified malaria free in 2025, while new malaria vaccines and next generation dual insecticide treated nets helped reduce cases and deaths in certain communities, the report notes.
Yet progress is fragile, it says.
The WMR report said it recorded nine million additional cases in 2024 compared with the year before noting that antimalarial drug resistance, now confirmed or suspected in at least eight African countries, is creating serious challenges for treatment and programme delivery.
The report, published in Malaria Consortium, underlines the importance of focusing on interventions that work, adapting quickly when they do not, and supporting countries and communities facing the greatest risks.
Also, its latest newsletter details how the organisation’s strategy is evolving to sustain progress and protect those most vulnerable.
On January 30, marking World NTD Day, the organisation also highlights its community-driven work on neglected tropical diseases, conditions that continue to affect health, livelihoods and equity despite limited attention.
Chief Executive James Tibenderana, had a recent parley with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Health Check to discuss both the successes and obstacles in global malaria control.
Drawing on developments in 2025, Tibenderana explored emerging tools such as gene-edited mosquitoes, next generation vaccines and rapid diagnostics that could help address these challenges.
He noted that in the past decade, they had seen little reduction in malaria cases, with more than half a million deaths every year.
However, Malaria Consortium continues to spotlight innovations and strategies aimed at one day eliminating the disease entirely, JKNewsMedia.com reports.
