Malaria: Deadly threat to children in Africa continues to grow!

Malaria: Deadly threat to children in Africa continues to grow!

Malaria remains one of the most serious health crises for children in Africa. According to reports, 94% of malaria cases recorded worldwide and 95% of related deaths occur on the African continent. What's particularly alarming is that 76% of malaria deaths occur in children under the age of five, meaning over 1,000 children die from the disease every day, according to the Small newspaper reported.

Malaria is transmitted through the bite of infected Anopheles mosquitoes. Symptoms, which typically appear 10 to 15 days after the bite, include fever, headache, chills and fatigue. Fighting malaria requires preventative measures such as avoiding mosquito bites, using insect repellent sprays and sleeping under impregnated mosquito nets. Tropical medicine experts also recommend medication prophylaxis for travelers to affected areas.

Vaccine developments and challenges

Progress in the fight against malaria is reflected in the introduction of two vaccines that have been approved in 13 African countries. In Malawi in particular, a combination of vaccinations and impregnated nets was successful, reducing malaria cases by 71% in the first 18 months. In Cameroon, 366,000 doses were administered, resulting in a drop in malaria cases from 66,800 to almost 267,000 in affected districts.

Nevertheless, the situation remains critical. Increasing resistance to insecticides and mutations in the malaria pathogen are making it more difficult to combat the disease. Additionally, the situation is further threatened by recent funding cuts by USAID, which contributed 37% of global funding for malaria programs between 2010 and 2023. It is expected that with further investment many more lives can be saved, as progress has been made Global Fund prove.

Climate change as a factor

Another dimension is climate change, which could influence the spread of malaria. Scientific assessments predict that rising temperatures and changes in humidity will expand the living conditions for Anopheles mosquitoes. Mosquitoes only survive in temperatures above 15 degrees Celsius, meaning the climatic limits of malaria could potentially reach Europe.

The WHO estimates that around 200 million people contract malaria every year and that malaria risk indicators could be limited by climatic changes. This is an example of the far-reaching health consequences of climate change, including the increased frequency of extreme weather, endangering lives and livelihoods.

In order to reduce malaria incidence and mortality by 90% by 2030, further expansion of vaccination programs is crucial. However, existing challenges show that there is still a long way to go to combat this insidious disease.