Since 2000, investments in the global malaria response have prevented more than 2 billion cases and nearly 13 million deaths. Yet efforts to control and eliminate malaria are in jeopardy as communities and programmes face the fallout of recent funding cuts.
Malaria is preventable and curable – but without prompt diagnosis and treatment, it can rapidly escalate to severe illness and death, particularly among young children and pregnant women. In 2023 alone, malaria claimed nearly 600 000 lives, with an estimated 95% of these deaths occurring in the WHO African Region. [1]
The 2025 funding cuts to malaria programmes put millions of additional lives at risk and could reverse decades of progress earned, in part, through longstanding investments from the United States of America and other global partners. Between 2010 and 2023, the USA contributed an average of 37% of global malaria financing through both bilateral and multilateral channels. [2]
The recent experience of the COVID-19 pandemic showed that sudden interruptions to malaria service delivery can be deadly. In 2020, COVID-related disruptions to the provision of malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment led to an estimated 14 million more malaria cases and an additional 47 000 deaths. [3]
"History has shown us what happens if we let down our guard against malaria," cautions Dr Daniel Ngamije, Director of the WHO Global Malaria Programme. "In 1969, the global eradication effort was abandoned, triggering a resurgence in cases and deaths. It took nearly 30 years for world leaders to come together and restore momentum."
Although funding for some USA-supported malaria programmes has been reinstated, the disruptions have left critical gaps. Without the rapid delivery of prevention and treatment services to at-risk populations, the consequences could be fatal.
Findings of rapid WHO survey
The impact is being felt across the health sector. Of the 108 WHO country offices that took part in a recent WHO survey , nearly three quarters reported severe disruptions to health services following the pause in overseas development assistance (ODA).
Responses from country offices suggest that budget cuts are already translating into increased out-of-pocket payments for patients, with the poor and vulnerable likely to carry the heaviest financial burden. The survey highlighted job losses for health and care workers as well as disruptions to information systems and to the supply of medicines and health products.
Reponses to malaria have been particularly affected. Of the 64 malaria-endemic countries surveyed, more than half reported moderate or severe disruptions to malaria services.
