Mozambique ranks fourth in Africa for incidence of malaria cases – WHO

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Mozambique ranks fourth in Africa for incidence of malaria cases – WHO

9:00 CAT | 01 Dec 2020

File photo: Lusa

Mozambique is the Portuguese-language country with the highest incidence of malaria cases, ranking fourth on the World Health Organisation (WHO) list of states in Africa with the most infections [World Malaria Report 2020] , while Cabo Verde has no cases currently registered, according to a report released on Monday.

The annual report of the WHO Global Malaria Programme, which reviewed 20 years of the fight against this disease, notes that of the 215 million cases and 384,000 deaths due to malaria recorded worldwide last year, Africa accounted for around 94% of cases and deaths.

Deaths from malaria in Africa have fallen by 44% in the last 20 years, to 384,000 in 2019 from as many as 680,000 in 2000, the report notes, slashing the mortality rate for malaria by 67% over this period (to 40 per 100,000 from 121 per 100,000 ).

However, the WHO points out, the rate of progress has slowed of late, mainly due to “stagnating progress in several countries with moderate or high transmission”.

Malaria🦟 is a preventable & treatable disease that continues to claim hundreds of thousands of lives each year.

WHO is calling on countries & global health partners to step up the fight and #EndMalaria 👉https://t.co/Vlad740sie pic.twitter.com/zZlnnIecyU

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) November 30, 2020

According to the WHO, 27 of the 29 countries responsible for 95% of malaria cases worldwide in 2019 are in Africa.

Just four countries accounted for about 51% of all cases worldwide: Nigeria (27%), the Democratic Republic of Congo (12%), Uganda (5%), Mozambique (4%) and Niger (3%).

The report lists Cabo Verde – which had no malaria cases in 2019, and so far this year has only had none – as one of seven African countries that are on track to meet the target of a reduction of 40% or more in malaria incidence; the others are Botswana, Ethiopia, the Gambia, Ghana, Namibia and South Africa. Algeria has already been certified as malaria-free.

Among Portuguese-language countries, Mozambique has the highest number of cases: about nine million in 2019, placing it fourth on the WHO’s list of African countries with the most infections, behind Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.

Among other members of the Community of Portuguese-Language Countries (CPLP) on the WHO’s list of 44, Angola ranks eighth, Equatorial Guinea 32nd, Guinea-Bissau 35th, and Sao Tome and Principe 40th. Cabo Verde, with no cases, is at the bottom of the list.