Zimbabwe risks losing two decades of malaria progress

CHENGETAI MURIMWA

Zimbabwe is on the brink of reversing 20 years of hard-won progress against malaria, as community health experts warn that a convergence of funding cuts, climate-driven outbreaks, and rising drug and insecticide resistance is fuelling a resurgence of one of the country’s most persistent public-health threats.

The alarm comes amid a steep rise in transmission across malaria-prone districts and growing pressure on an already strained health system. Experts say the situation now risks slipping into a full-scale national setback unless urgent action is taken.

“Malaria remains a deadly national health challenge. The burden is particularly devastating for pregnant women and young children,” said Itai Rusike, Executive Director of the Community Working Group on Health (CWGH). “Extreme weather events, increasing drug and insecticide resistance, and funding shortfalls — especially after the funding withdrawal by the United States government — are jeopardizing the significant gains that the country has made against malaria over the last 20 years.”

Official 2024 Ministry of Health and Child Care data shows over 300,000 malaria cases and more than 350 deaths, with the bulk of cases emerging from high-transmission zones in Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Manicaland, Masvingo, and parts of Mashonaland West. The country’s traditional hotspots,  including Mutasa, Mudzi, Mt Darwin, Buhera and Muzarabani — continue to suffer recurring outbreaks driven by high mosquito density, expanding breeding sites and limited vector-control capacity.

Health officials warn that climate change is accelerating the threat, with intense cyclones, flooding and prolonged rainy seasons generating ideal mosquito-breeding conditions. At the same time, rising insecticide resistance is eroding the effectiveness of core interventions such as indoor residual spraying.

The situation has been worsened by a sharp contraction in external financing, particularly the withdrawal of a key US funding stream — a development public-health analysts say has immediately widened Zimbabwe’s malaria-programming gap.

Beyond the public-health emergency, Rusike warned that malaria resurgence threatens to impose significant economic costs, particularly on productivity in rural districts where agriculture underpins livelihoods.

“Investing in the fight against malaria not only saves lives, but it also boosts productivity, creates economic opportunities and strengthens national health security,” he said. “The country must act decisively to end malaria as a public health threat and build a healthier, safer, more prosperous future for all.”

With hospitals in high-burden regions already stretched and drug-resistance concerns mounting, analysts caution that Zimbabwe may face a dual challenge: escalating cases alongside rising treatment costs.

Rusike said community-level engagement remains central to malaria control, particularly as funding gaps widen.

“We need sustained community health education and awareness campaigns, provision of treated mosquito nets in malaria hotspot areas, household prevention services including residual spraying, and active community participation in malaria programmes,” he said.

The CWGH is urging government, development partners and local communities to intensify interventions ahead of the peak transmission season, stressing that the cost of inaction — in lives and economic output — will be far greater than the investment required to sustain current programmes.