Malaria cases are surging in parts of southern Africa, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia, and Zimbabwe have reported new outbreaks in the last year, with Zimbabwe recently reporting 111,998 cases and 310 deaths from malaria, compared to 29,031 cases and 49 deaths in the same period in 2024.
“We’re in a period of accelerating climate change, accelerating extreme heat, accelerating extreme weather events, which do favor malaria, as they provide a more hospitable environment for spread,” Stephen Morrison, director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Semafor.
Malaria reduction efforts in Africa face a period of uncertainty: US aid cuts could result in tens of thousands of extra malaria-inflicted deaths in Africa this year, according to one study. At the same time, the first malaria treatment for babies is also being rolled out across the continent, where children under five account for around three-quarters of fatal infections.
