Mozambique recorded 3.1 million cases of malaria until March, 21% less in a year, but the number of deaths caused by the disease increased to 110, the director of the National Malaria Control Program said this Wednesday.
“In the first quarter of this year we registered an increase in deaths. We have already registered 110 deaths in hospitals, compared to 102 deaths in the same period last year. This increase in deaths, more than 50% are from the provinces of Cabo Delgado and Nampula”, said Baltazar Candrinho, in an interview with Lusa, anticipating World Day to Fight the Disease, which is celebrated annually on April 25th.
He added that in the first three months of this year alone, around 3.1 million cases of malaria were recorded, compared to four million in 2022, which represents a 21% reduction year-on-year.
Even so, according to Baltazar Candrinho, the number of deaths from malaria tends to reduce in Mozambique, with 357 deaths recorded in 2023, compared to 423 in 2022.
However, the number of cases of the disease increased, with 13 million cases recorded in 2023, against 12.4 million in 2022, an increase of 17%, said the official.
According to Baltazar Candrinho, “malaria still continues to be an important public health problem” in Mozambique, adding that the Government continues to make efforts to stop the disease: “One of the measures [para travar a malária] was the distribution of mosquito nets on a national scale. We distributed almost 16 million nets in campaigns and almost two million in prenatal consultations.”
He also stated that “the trend of mortality from malaria in general in the country is decreasing”, due to the national effort that aims to ensure that people receive “treatment and we guarantee that there is medicine and tests” in health units.
Lusa reported this month that Mozambique wants to halve, by 2026, hospital mortality from malaria and eliminate local transmission of the disease by 2030 in 20 districts of the country, with support from the Global Fund.
At stake is support for Mozambique from that international health organization, worth 789.3 million dollars (735.5 million euros), through four grants for programs to combat malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, as well as for strengthening health systems, 2024 to 2026, launched in Maputo, on April 10th.
With the grant allocated to malaria, of 190.3 million dollars (177.3 million euros) for interventions planned in case management and vector control, it is intended that it will “help reduce the burden of the disease”, of 392 cases per 1,000 in 2022, to 294 cases per 1,000 in 2026, according to information from the Ministry of Health.
It also aims to reduce hospital mortality from malaria from 1.4 per 100,000 in 2021 to 0.77 per 100,000 in 2026, “eliminate local transmission of malaria by 2030 in at least 20 districts identified as low transmission”, and address the cross-border transmission of malaria, “contributing to the elimination of malaria” in the southern African region.
