News Releases

More Efforts, Funding Needed to End Malaria

19 November 2018

MAPUTO, Mozambique – The Global Fund joined partners at the launch of the World Malaria Report 2018 with a call to increase investments and renew efforts to accelerate progress in the fight against malaria in high burden countries.

The report by WHO shows that after more than a decade of unprecedented decline of malaria, reductions have stalled and, in some countries, the disease is on the rise.

In 2017, there were an estimated 219 million cases of malaria, compared with 217 million the year before. Approximately 70 percent of all malaria cases and deaths in 2017 were concentrated in 10 countries in Africa (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda and Tanzania) and India. There were 3.5 million more malaria cases reported in these 10 African countries in 2017, compared to the previous year.

“We have made extraordinary progress in the fight against malaria, but without more resources, greater innovation and better execution we risk a resurgence in the highest burden countries,” said Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “Given what’s at stake, we cannot let that happen.”

Led by RBM Partnership to End Malaria and WHO, partners unveiled a new approach to galvanize progress against malaria, focusing on the 11 countries that account for approximately 70 percent of the global malaria burden.

The high impact response for high burden countries outlines critical areas where countries, with support from global partners, will invest in greater coordination and efforts to ensure they effectively use data and evidence to identify tailored interventions, including coverage, data and innovation.

“Every 2 minutes, a child dies from malaria. This is totally unacceptable,” said Sands. “It is time to double down on malaria.”

The Global Fund is the largest international funder of malaria programs, providing approximately 60 percent, over US$1.2 billion each year. It is investing in new tools, partnerships and innovations, including US$35 million in catalytic funding to work with Unitaid to pilot new mosquito nets to combat insecticide resistance in Africa.

The Global Fund is also supporting the piloting of the Malaria Matchbox, a tool created to analyse and address human rights and gender-related barriers in malaria programs, in a number of countries. In 2018, the tool was piloted in India and Niger, in partnership with Malaria No More, together with the National Malaria Control Programmes and civil society in those countries.