On World Malaria Day 2024, we’re acknowledging a sobering reality: malaria cases are on the rise. Despite falling numbers in previous years, more than 600,000 people died from malaria and 249 million new cases of malaria were reported in 2022. What’s even more tragic about these statistics is that the majority of these cases affected people living in vulnerable situations, especially children.

This dangerous rise in malaria cases is part of why a day like today — World Malaria Day — is so important. The World Health Organization chose the theme, “Accelerating the fight against malaria for a more equitable world,” for World Malaria Day 2024. Now more than ever, our collective commitment to fighting malaria is critical to saving lives.

Read on to see how we’re fighting malaria, and hear from our country directors in Uganda and Tanzania about the recent Yaoundé Declaration!

Malaria still threatens lives

Malaria is a disease caused by tiny parasites that enter a human body through the bite of an infected mosquito. Though occasionally people with malaria have few or no symptoms, most people experience fever, chills, nausea, and headaches. That said, symptoms can be far more severe for some people infected with malaria — especially children — and eventually lead to death. Severe symptoms can include extreme respiratory distress, convulsions, jaundice, and comas.

That’s why testing and treating malaria is so important. The consequences of ignoring the disease are high. Every day, people die from a treatable disease. Anti-malarial medication is inexpensive and relatively easy to procure. Prevention measures, like mosquito nets, also diminish the rates of malaria.

But the sad reality is that more people are dying from malaria than we’ve seen in the last 5 years. Prevention and treatment measures haven’t been able to keep pace with the impact of climate change and the mass displacement of people by conflict. This is especially true in countries in Africa, which carries 95% of the burden of all malaria cases.

Still, there’s reason to hope. A recent declaration signed by senior government officials in the countries most impacted by malaria signals a renewed commitment to ending malaria.

Celebrating the Yaoundé Declaration

In March, just ahead of World Malaria Day 2024, ministers of health and other high ranking government officials from 11 African countries met in Yaoundé, Cameroon, to address the recent rise in malaria cases. At the conference, co-hosted by the World Health Organization, the ministers signed a declaration committing to increasing their collective effort toward fighting malaria. Two countries that Medical Teams works in, Uganda and Tanzania, were present at the conference.

The investment in fighting malaria is inspiring, especially for Medical Teams staff working in countries affected by malaria.

Jason Evans, our country director in Uganda, says,

“I am inspired by the momentum ignited by the Yaoundé Declaration, a beacon of hope in our global fight against malaria. This initiates a relentless pursuit towards eradicating malaria morbidity and mortality, through collaboration, innovation, and reinforcement of our efforts.”

Similarly, our country director in Tanzania, Debora Niyeha, shares, “Medical Teams in Tanzania operate under the guidelines set by the Ministry of Health to uphold the commitment to the Yaoundé Declaration.”

The declaration outlines how the 11 countries are going to work together to implement new technology, increase funding, and follow best practices for eradicating malaria. It’s a hopeful step forward for the region in the fight against malaria!

Medical Teams fights malaria

As an organization, malaria has remained a priority for our programs, especially in east Africa. Our programs focus on both prevention and treatment. Because the disease is so widespread, it can be difficult to prevent people from being infected entirely. Additionally, because people can be infected repeatedly, it’s a challenging disease to fight.

But efforts are underway to reduce infection rates through prevention measures like mosquito nets and community health education. We’re also ready with anti-malarial medication when someone does get sick.

Jason Evans explains, “As Medical Teams International in Uganda, we are implementing environmentally friendly malaria control interventions and integrated case management approaches to ensure that communities are healthier, and no one dies from this preventable disease.”

Debora Niyeha describes our commitment and dedication in Tanzania, saying, “To ensure “nobody dies from malaria,” we have enhanced the management of malaria cases through promoting community awareness around early signs of malaria, and timely health seeking behaviors and quality malaria case management. High risk groups in the community, including pregnant women and children under five, receive high priority in malaria prevention efforts. These groups receive and are encouraged to use insecticide-treated nets, while the Intermittent Preventive Treatment is provided to pregnant women during their second trimester and continue to provide close monitoring throughout the pregnancy. We extend our services to all community members by ensuring availability of free preventive and curative malaria services across the two refugees camps in Tanzania.”

Recognizing World Malaria Day 2024

At Medical Teams, days like World Malaria Day aren’t a cause for celebration. They’re a reminder of our responsibility toward our global neighbors. The recent rise in cases is cause for concern. We’re dedicated to the fight against malaria, both with prevention measures and treatment.

Read more about how we’re helping heal people from malaria.