In an effort to change the trajectory of malaria trends,with a view to achieving the global malaria targets, the WHO Global Malaria Programme has published a new operational strategy outlining its priorities and key activities up to 2030.
The strategy outlines 4 strategic objectives where WHO will focus its efforts, including developing norms and standards, introducing new tools and innovation, promoting strategic information for impact, and providing technical leadership of the global malaria response.
In recent years, progress towards critical targets of the WHO Global technical strategy for malaria 2016-2030 has stalled, particularly in countries that carry a high burden of the disease. In 2022 there were an estimated 608 000 malaria-related deaths and 249 million new malaria cases globally, with young children in Africa bearing the brunt of the disease.
Millions of people continue to miss out on the services they need to prevent, detect, and treat malaria. Additionally, progress in global malaria control has been hampered by resource constraints, humanitarian crises, climate change and biological threats such as drug and insecticide resistance.
Dr Daniel Ngamije, Director of the Global Malaria Programme noted that, “A shift in the global malaria response is urgently needed across the entire malaria ecosystem to prevent avoidable deaths and achieve the targets of the WHO global malaria strategy,”
“This shift should seek to address the root causes of the disease and be centered around accessibility, efficiency, sustainability, equity and integration”, he said.