Diseases - Climate change and resistance hinder the fight against malaria
The number of malaria cases worldwide has risen in recent years. Since 2017, there has been no progress in efforts to reduce malaria, as the World Health Organization (WHO) writes in its malaria report. According to estimates, there were 249 million cases in 2022, compared to 233 million in 2019, the year before the pandemic. The number of deaths rose from 576,000 to 608,000. Estimates were difficult in the pandemic years.
The WHO reported that it was not only the pandemic that hindered further progress. Climate change is also a challenge. On the one hand, mosquitoes are spreading with rising temperatures in areas, such as the highlands in Africa, where they did not previously occur. On the other hand, disasters such as floods with subsequent stagnant water offer new breeding grounds. At the same time, preventive measures would become more difficult if tens of thousands of people were displaced by natural disasters. In addition, supply chains for mosquito nets and medicines could be interrupted. According to the WHO, another problem is that mosquitoes are becoming resistant to some insect repellents and parasites are becoming resistant to anti-malaria medication.
Around 94 percent of all cases were registered in Africa in 2022. However, Pakistan recorded the largest increase. The number there rose from 500,000 in 2021 to 2.6 million cases. The devastating floods in the summer of 2022, which provided new breeding grounds for mosquitoes, were partly to blame. The number of cases was five times higher than usual in the region at the time.
The WHO declared war on malaria 23 years ago. According to WHO estimates, prevention programs such as the destruction of breeding sites and, above all, insecticide-treated mosquito nets for sleeping prevented around 2.1 billion cases and 11.7 million deaths between 2000 and 2022.
Malaria is an infectious disease. The pathogen is transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito. It attacks the red blood cells. The main symptom is fever. The disease is curable if treated immediately. It is life-threatening, especially for young children. Since 2021, the WHO has recommended two vaccines for young children that reduce the death rate among young children by more than ten percent.
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- The World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted that climate change and resistance to malaria treatments are significant obstacles in the fight against this disease.
- Climate change contributes to the spread of malaria-carrying mosquitoes to newer regions, such as highlands in Africa, and also creates new breeding grounds due to natural disasters like flooding.
- Africa accounted for 94% of all malaria cases worldwide in 2022, and the rise in cases in Pakistan, particularly after floods, is a cause for concern.
- The WHO's malaria report stated that there was no improvement in reducing malaria cases since 2017, with an estimated 249 million cases in 2022, resulting in over 600,000 deaths.
- In the past two decades, the WHO has reported that preventive measures like insecticide-treated mosquito nets and destruction of breeding sites have prevented approximately 2.1 billion cases and 11.7 million deaths due to malaria.
- The WHO has recommended two vaccines for young children since 2021, which have demonstrated the potential to significantly reduce malaria-related mortality among children.
Source: www.stern.de
