WHO Calls One Million People Survived Malaria Last Year, But Drug Resistance Is A Threat

Illustration of malaria vaccination. (Wikimedia Commons/GHTC)

JAKARTA - The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that the wider use of new malaria tools, including dual-materedvokes and vaccines recommended by WHO, had helped prevent about 170 million cases and 1 million deaths by 2024.

WHO-backed innovations have increasingly been integrated into routine health systems. Since the first malaria vaccine was approved in 2021, some 24 countries have incorporated it into the national immunization program, according to findings released in the WHO's annual World Malaria Report.

Seasonal malaria development has also expanded to reach 54 million children by 2024, up from about 0.2 million in 2012.

Meanwhile, progress towards elimination continues, with 47 countries and one malaria-free certified region to date. Tanjung Verde and Egypt achieved certification in 2024, followed by Georgia, Suriname and Timor-Leste in 2025, according to the report.

Despite this increase, the report estimates there will be 282 million cases and 6100.000 deaths by 2024, about 9 million more cases than the previous year.

About 95 percent of deaths occurred in the African Region of WHO, mostly in children under the age of 5.

"The new dispatch for malaria prevention gives us new hope, but we still face significant challenges," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, launching Anadolu (4/12).

"The increasing number of cases and deaths, the increasing threat of drug resistance, and the impact of cuts in funds, are all threatening to hinder the progress we have made over the past two decades. However, none of these challenges cannot be overcome," Tedros explained.

The report further highlighted partial resistance to artemissionin derivatives, which were confirmed or suspected to have occurred in at least eight African countries, and warned of a decline in drug efficacy.

The report also mentions various challenges, including the phhrp2 gene deletion that affects rapid tests, piretoid resistance in 48 countries, the spread of the Anopheles stephension mosquito, extreme weather events, conflicts, and stagnant global funding, which reached 3.9 billion US dollars by 2024, less than half of the 2025 target.

"The World Malaria Report confirms that drug resistance continues to increase. Our response must be as clear as possible, new medicines with a new work mechanism," said Medicines for Malaria Venture CEO Martin Fitchet.

The WHO urges endemic countries to maintain the commitment outlined in the Yaounde Declaration and accelerate action under the Big Push initiative to maintain progress towards a malaria-free future.