World malaria day 2,481 deaths and 3,327,381 cases of malaria in Cameroon2,481 Cameroon

The National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) has made this assessment in the run-up to the 16th World Malaria Day, which is celebrated on April 25 every year.

Divine KANANYET

Cameroon is one of the 11 countries most affected by malaria in the world. Hospital data in the country show a general stagnation of confirmed cases in recent years. In 2022, 3,327,381 cases of malaria were reported by health facilities in Cameroon, representing 29.6% of all consultations, according to SNIS data. From the above, the Eastern region has the highest incidence of cases. Furthermore, the figures indicate a decline in mortality since 2019. Between 2021 and 2022, hospital mortality due to malaria fell by almost 4 points, from 13.5% to 9.9% of all recorded deaths. The Far North and Adamaoua regions have the highest mortality rates and children under 5 years of age remain the group in which the vast majority of deaths are recorded, i.e. 71% of all deaths.
Malaria remains one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality
in Cameroon. To fight against this disease, the government in collaboration with development partners are multiplying efforts to reduce its social burden. For some years now, the course of a constant decrease in deaths has been initiated,
however, commendable actions remain to be carried out to halt its evolution. It is therefore recommended to adopt the desired
behaviours because “It’s time to reach zero malaria: Invest, Innovate,
Implement”, as the theme of this edition indicates. Globally, the number of malaria cases has not stopped increasing between 2020 and 2021, but it is less important than from 2019 to 2020.
Series of activities
The number of cases has been estimated at 247 million in 2021, up from 245 million in 2020 and 232 million in 2019 by the World Health Organization. In 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, the number of malaria-related
deaths worldwide was estimated
at 568,000. This estimate rose to 625,000 in the first year of the pandemic in 2020, before falling
back to 619,000 in 2021. The WHO African Region continues to bear the brunt of malaria with 95% of all malaria cases in 2021, or 234 million cases; 96% of all malaria
deaths, or 593,000 deaths; and nearly 80% of all malaria deaths in the region are in children under 5 years of age. The incidence of the disease and the mortality rate in the African region increased during the first year of the pandemic in Covid-19, from 2019 to 2020, before
decreasing between 2020 and 2021. In Cameroon, this 16th edition
is being celebrated since the beginning of April with a series of activities. The day of 25 April 2023 will be dedicated to the solemn celebration by the government and development partners as well as all actors in the fight against malaria.