The gains made in reducing malaria cases around the world are being put in jeopardy as climate change drives up the number of mosquitoes and changes their transmission patterns and geographical distribution. The African continent is the most at risk and is predicted to experience 532,000 additional deaths by 2050. It is already home to 95% of malaria deaths, with nearly 580,000 recorded in 2024.
“While we were hopeful that this would have become a problem of the past, it’s not going to be the case,” Dr. Jackline Kiarie, Director of Programs for Health Systems Strengthening at Amref Health Africa, told Devex on the sidelines of London Climate Action Week.
Despite working close to the margins of elimination, health organisations are now having to mobilise to meet the emerging need — and fast. That means expanding programs to areas previously not prone to malaria, extending interventions to span longer rainy seasons when mosquitoes are typically the most prevalent, and educating health teams on the health-climate nexus, Kiarie said.
Sitting down at Devex Impact House, Kiarie laid out what is needed to stop malaria rates from climbing, the value of cross-sectoral collaboration at this time, and the need for financing to stop the rollback of malaria control gains in Africa.
Watch how Amref Health Africa is working with communities, health workers, and partners in northern Zambia to accelerate the journey from malaria control to elimination. Via YouTube.
The need for data-driven health interventions
Historically, Amref has based its malaria programming solely on health data because the organisation was familiar with the communities most affected and when the peak transmission times would be. This informed prevention interventions when the team would spray houses with insecticides and administer malaria vaccines.
The new wave of climate-related unpredictability means there is an acute need for cross-sector data to inform the malaria response, Kiarie said. This includes data on rainfall patterns and temperature that the health sector does not typically hold. Beyond shaping interventions, this information also helps organisations such as Amref better explain what is happening to health workers and donors.
Catalysing integrated finance
As it stands, less than 0.5% of multilateral climate financing is channeled into health. Funders should recognise this and come in together to tackle the issue, Kiarie said. “We have typically had health projects being funded under the health ministry, agriculture projects under the agriculture ministry. What we are saying now is we want calls for joint proposals and joint implementation for coordinated action,” she said, adding that these should be centred around communities and their specific needs when it comes to malaria prevention and treatment.
“We also want to see a change in the grant cycles,” Kiarie said, explaining that it takes 10 to 20 years to adapt to a threat like malaria and so the two-to-three-year grant cycle doesn’t work.
The strategic value of partnerships
Now more than ever, flexibility and different partners are key to bringing malaria cases down, Kiarie said. Partnerships with governments, in particular, are crucial, she said, as malaria policies must be adapted to address the changing landscape of the disease, while more collaboration between ministries of health and agriculture is required to facilitate data sharing and joint financing. Kenya is an early adopter of this type of partnership, she said, as climate discussions are already being hosted under the National Public Health Institute.
Academia is another crucial partner, Kiarie said, as more research is needed to better inform health interventions. “We need to understand how climate change is affecting resistance, and that means that we have to start pulling in academia in a stronger way to ensure that we can answer these questions,” she said. The private sector also has an important role to play, she added, pointing to Amref’s partnership with GSK as an example of how collaboration can help accelerate the journey from malaria control to elimination through innovation, research, and expanded access.
The full conversation with Devex Executive Vice President and Executive Editor Kate Warren and Dr. Jackline Kiarie, Director of Programs for Health Systems Strengthening at Amref Health Africa, during Devex Impact House @ London Climate Action Week. Via YouTube.
Learn more about how Amref Health Africa is helping communities stay ahead of climate-driven malaria at https://amrefuk.org/our-work/phc-for-malaria-elimination/.
Article first published on: https://www.devex.com/news/sponsored/how-climate-change-is-redrawing-africa-s-malaria-map-112844