Malaria is poised for a devastating comeback in Africa’s “worst moment in 25 years”

In 2000 malaria killed nearly a million people worldwide, with 90% of cases and deaths occurring in Africa. In the decades that followed, an unprecedented global effort—fuelled by billions of dollars in US and other international donor funding—slashed malaria deaths, saving millions of lives. The World Health Organization estimates that 2.2 billion malaria cases and 12.7 million deaths have been averted since 2000. Now, however, that progress is unravelling.

East Africa is facing a triple threat that could undo decades of malaria control efforts: rising drug resistance, the spread of insecticide resistant mosquitoes, and the arrival of a new invasive species, Anopheles stephensi. These threats, emerging against a backdrop of the US government’s abrupt withdrawal of funding for malaria programmes,1 could lead to a deadly resurgence of the disease. Without urgent intervention, experts warn that malaria cases will skyrocket in 2025.

“The thing about malaria is that it resurges quickly,” says Melanie Renshaw, principal director of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance. “When you stop doing malaria prevention, you can quickly see it back to higher levels than before prevention started—even within one malaria season.”