Malaria report showed new tools helping while total cases rose
WHO’s December release distinguished estimated prevention benefits from the disease burden that remained.
- Event / announcement date
- 2025-12-04
- Earliest linked source date
- 2025-12-04
- NewsTumble first published
- 2026-10-25T22:31:04Z
- NewsTumble updated
- 2026-10-25T22:31:04Z
WHO’s December 4, 2025 malaria report attributed major benefits to wider use of prevention tools, including newer nets and recommended vaccines. It estimated that interventions prevented 170 million cases and one million deaths in 2024. Those are estimated avoided outcomes, not the number of people who became ill. [1]
The remaining burden was still large: an estimated 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths in 2024. Cases were roughly nine million higher than the previous year. Around 95% of deaths occurred in the WHO African Region, with children under five accounting for most of them. [1]
The release said 24 countries had introduced malaria vaccines into routine immunization programmes. Seasonal preventive treatment reached 54 million children in 2024 across 20 countries. These implementation totals describe programme reach; they do not establish that every eligible child was protected. [1]
Resistance complicated the outlook. WHO reported confirmed or suspected partial resistance to artemisinin derivatives in at least eight African countries. Funding and service disruptions were additional concerns. The release did not declare malaria controlled. [1]
The source
- World Health Organization: New tools saved a million lives from malaria last year but progress under threat as drug resistance rises ↗
Source published 2025-12-04 · reviewed 2026-10-25
About this item: Retrospective source brief. No first-hand reporting or independent testing is claimed. Corrections policy.
