Towards the elimination of malaria
The Malaria Elimination Strategy was adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2015. It aims for at least a 90% reduction in incidence and mortality rates, as well as elimination in 35 countries by 2030. The strategy was updated in 2021 to reflect lessons learned from the global response to malaria over the period 2016 to 2020.
Since then, numerous efforts have produced encouraging results. Between January 2015 and January 2024, 12 countries were certified malaria-free by the WHO. Nevertheless, malaria remains a major public health challenge, with 249 million reported cases and around 608,000 deaths by 2022.
The arrival of two malaria vaccines is raising new hopes, but their role remains to be fully defined in conjunction with existing tools such as treatment, seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) and mosquito nets. The complexity of implementing these vaccines poses significant challenges.
The emergence of resistance to treatments and insecticides are further obstacles to be overcome.
Momentum: At the World Health Assembly 2024, a report will present the current state of the fight against malaria.
In parallel, the Geneva Health Forum conference will provide a platform for sharing experiences between stakeholders from academia, the private sector, political players and civil society. These discussions will provide an opportunity to get an overview of the progress that has been made, as well as the challenges still to be faced. The aim is also to give a voice to those on the ground who are implementing these new strategies.