Malaria in Africa
A mosquito-borne disease that remains one of the continent's leading causes of child mortality, and the focus of new vaccines and prevention campaigns.
- Cause
- Plasmodium parasites, spread by Anopheles mosquitoes
- Share of global burden
- About 95% of cases and deaths occur in Africa
The burden
Young children and pregnant women are most at risk. Malaria slows school attendance, work and economic growth in the countries most affected.
Prevention and treatment
Insecticide-treated bed nets, indoor spraying, rapid tests and artemisinin-based treatments have lowered deaths substantially since the early 2000s. Drug and insecticide resistance now threaten that progress.
Vaccines
The World Health Organization recommended the RTS,S vaccine in 2021 and the R21 vaccine in 2023 for children in areas with malaria transmission, and several African countries have begun rolling them out.