Malaria Is Still a Big Problem in Africa
Introduction
Malaria is a very bad sickness. It hurts many people in the world. Most cases are in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2024, 282 million people got malaria. 610,000 people died. Many of them were children under five years old. Three countries have the most deaths: Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Niger. New vaccines and medicines help, but the number of sick people is still going up.
Main Body
Money for malaria control is not growing. Some medicines and mosquito nets do not work well now. Mosquitoes and the sickness are becoming stronger. Climate change makes more mosquitoes. Floods leave water where mosquitoes lay eggs. This makes it hard to stop malaria. Conflict and people moving also make it difficult. But there is good news. In July 2025, a new medicine for babies was approved. It helps children from two months to five years old. Seventeen countries started giving malaria vaccines to children in 2024. Two vaccines are used: RTS,S and R21/Matrix-M. In Ghana, the vaccine stopped 86% of malaria deaths in young children. Mali started using the vaccine in April 2025. They give booster shots with other medicine. Dr. Ngozi Erondu says new tools are good, but we need to use them for many people. Countries must share information about mosquitoes. New tools like AI can help find mosquitoes. But people need training and money. Many countries in Africa get money from other countries. This money can stop. Prevention is cheaper than treatment. A mosquito net costs $4 to $7. One bad case of malaria costs hundreds of dollars.
Conclusion
New vaccines, medicines, and tools can help stop malaria. But the number of sick people is still going up. Money is not enough. Mosquitoes are becoming stronger. Climate change makes more mosquitoes. To stop malaria by 2030, countries need more money and better health systems. They must work together. Without this, the problem will not get better.