The World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti has said that the region accounted for 94% (215.26 million) malaria cases with 409,000 global deaths in 2019. According to her, this is despite the great progress made in malaria response in African countries. Moeti raised the alarm Friday in a statement in Maiduguri to mark 2021 World Malaria Day with the theme: “Zero Malaria-Draw the Line against it.” “Every malaria case is however; preventable and every malaria death is unacceptable,” she declared, lamenting that; “We grieve over the 384,000 preventable malaria deaths last year in WHO’s African region.” While reviewing malaria incidences and deaths in region, she said that malaria incidences and deaths declined by 29% and 60% respectively. She added that over 1.2 billion cases and 7.1 million deaths were also averted in the region. According to her, Cape Verde has maintained zero malaria status since 2018, while Algeria was certified malaria free in 2019. She noted that Botswana, Ethiopia, the Gambia, Ghana, Namibia and South Africa achieved the 2020 milestones of reducing malaria incidence and deaths by 40% compared to 2015. Continuing, Moeti added:
“Thirty six of the 44 malaria-endemic countries in the region did not achieve these milestones,” warning that overall; the region was off track by 37% and 25% for the incidence and deaths milestones respectively. Overall, the Region was off track by 37% and 25% for the incidence and deaths milestones respectively. While malaria incidence in the Region dropped by 9% to 10% every five years between 2000 and 2015, in the last five years, this has slowed to less than 2%. She lamented that every year that malaria was led to spread, health and development suffers. She therefore attributed malaria for an average annual reduction of 1.3% in Africa’s economic growth. According to her, malaria-related absenteeism and productivity losses cost Nigeria $1.1 billion (N418 billion) every year. “In 2003, malaria cost Uganda $11 million (N4.18 billion,” noting that in Kenya, 170 million working days and 11% of primary school days were lost to malaria annually
