Malaria: Climate change poses “substantial risk to progress,” WHO warns

A “substantial pivot” is needed to get the fight against malaria back on track after a pause in progress, the World Health Organization has warned.1There were an estimated 249 million malaria cases globally in 2022—16 million more than in 2019 (233m)—said WHO in its annual malaria report. On top of the disruption caused by the covid-19 pandemic, the global response to malaria has been threatened by drug and insecticide resistance, humanitarian crises, and resource constraints, it said.WHO has called for “increased resourcing, strengthened political commitment, data driven strategies, and innovative tools” in order to make progress towards its goal of reducing global malaria incidence and mortality by at least 90% by 2030.2Climate changeIn the report, WHO also warned about the “threat of climate change,” highlighting that changes in temperature, humidity, and rainfall can impact the behaviour and survival of the malaria carrying Anopheles mosquito.It said that extreme weather events, such…
Read Original Article: Malaria: Climate change poses “substantial risk to progress,” WHO warns »