The goal of eliminating malaria by 2030 is in jeopardy

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The goal of eliminating malaria by 2030 is in jeopardy

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African Media Agency,  African Newspage,  2025.

Africa could see 554,000 additional malaria deaths due to climate change, unless urgent action is taken. The goal of eliminating malaria by 2030 is in jeopardy, as climate change, population growth, and funding shortfalls converge to reverse hard-won gains over the past decade. “Shifting temperature and rainfall patterns are expanding and altering malaria risk zones, which will continue to disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, especially children under five,” says Dr. Patric Epopa, researcher at the Health Sciences Research Institute (IRSS) and Field Entomology Coordinator at Target Malaria Burkina Faso.

According to a climate impact model developed by Boston Consulting Group and the Malaria Atlas Project to predict changes in extreme weather events and to estimate their impact on malaria deaths to the year 2049, the increase in extreme weather events is reshaping malaria risk. The findings indicate:

  • Between 2030 and 2049, climate change is expected to cause 554,000 more malaria deaths than if today’s climate remained unchanged. This is despite some regions seeing reduced transmission rates. Extreme weather events will drive 92% of these additional deaths.
  • Stepping up malaria control with current tools could reduce the additional deaths, but climate change may weaken their impact by up to 17%, making progress fragile.
  • By 2050, climate change will make malaria eradication harder for 75% of sub-Saharan Africa’s population,equating to 1.3 billion people.

“Extreme weather is one of the biggest drivers of malaria spikes,” says the researcher. “Displaced communities are often left unprotected without mosquito nets, indoor spraying, or access to early diagnosis and treatment.”