During the 79th United Nations General Assembly, Heads of State and Government cautioned that without an urgent increase in funding for malaria, the world may face a severe resurgence of this deadly disease within the next five years.
Leaders warned that failure to boost funding and enhance prevention efforts could result in an additional 137.2 million malaria cases and up to 337,000 deaths between 2027 and 2029. If current funding levels remain unchanged, there could still be 112 million more cases and 280,000 deaths.
Concerns were raised about the ongoing threats hindering malaria control efforts. According to the latest World Health Organization report, nearly 250 million malaria cases and over 600,000 deaths occur annually, with young children and those in the poorest countries being the most affected.
As the Global Fund Replenishment approaches in 2025, leaders referenced new modeling by the Malaria Atlas Project, which indicates an additional 300,000 lives are at risk. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria is a major source of funding for combating these diseases, pooling resources from governments to tackle these health crises in three-year cycles known as Replenishments.
The RBM Partnership to End Malaria shared insights from recent modeling, stating that maintaining current funding could lead to an additional 112 million malaria cases and approximately 280,700 deaths over three years, with outbreaks anticipated across Africa. If funding were to be cut, the projections worsen: a reduction to $11 billion in the Global Fund Replenishment could result in 137.2 million additional malaria cases and 337,000 deaths.
President Umaro Sissocco Embaló raised these projections during a discussion titled “Confronting the Malaria Perfect Storm,” hosted by the African Leaders Malaria Alliance. He emphasized the urgency of action during this Replenishment cycle to prevent a malaria resurgence.
Dr. Michael Charles, CEO of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, stated, “The evidence is clear that there is a significant risk of malaria epidemics if funding isn’t increased, especially in high-burden areas that rely on critical prevention services.” He highlighted that malaria predominantly affects lower-income countries, particularly in Africa, which often lack the resources to combat the disease.
Charles stressed the importance of ensuring that malaria receives increased funding from the Global Fund to avoid a wide-scale resurgence. Without this support, cases are expected to rise, disproportionately impacting women and young children, pushing more individuals into poverty and overwhelming fragile health systems, which could have global economic repercussions. He urged the world to ensure vulnerable populations are not further disadvantaged by securing the necessary funding, starting with the Global Fund Replenishment.
