Africa's Malaria Deaths to Overshadow Covid-19's

The World Health Organization (WHO) said today, that deaths from Malaria in sub-Saharan Africa will exceed those caused by Covid-19 infection.

Pedro Alonso, Director of the WHO Malaria Program, told reporters: "Our estimates, which are based on the level of disruption of services due to Covid-19 indicate that there will be an increase in Malaria deaths to between 20,000 and 100,000 in sub-Saharan Africa, most of them will be children."

He added: "It is very likely that the deaths from Malaria are greater than the direct deaths from Coronavirus."

A report concluded that 2019 witnessed 229 million cases of Malaria, and said that despite the unprecedented challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, many countries around the world have struggled hard to limit the spread of Malaria.

Alonso added that the long-term success in reaching a Malaria-free world within a generation cannot be confirmed.

Some of the African countries worst hit by Malaria have been struggling to make significant progress in this area since 2016.

Also, the UN’s health agency said it was concerned that even moderate disruptions in access to treatment could lead to a “considerable loss of life”.

The WHO stated that the funding shortages have led to gaps in access to malaria-control measures, and the shortfall in 2019 was $3bn compared with a target of $5.6 bn.

It continued: "A better targeting of interventions, new tools and increased funding are needed to change the global trajectory of the disease and reach internationally-agreed targets."

The Organization concluded that "Only 21 countries have eliminated malaria over the last 20 years; of these, 10 countries have been officially certified as Malaria-free."