Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Malaria Control in Africa: A Preliminary Analysis

Abstract

Malaria remains a significant public health concern in Africa, and the emerging coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have negatively impacted malaria control. Here, we conducted a descriptive epidemiological analysis of malaria globally, and preliminarily explored the impact of COVID-19 on the malaria elimination program in regions of Africa (AFR). The present analysis found that there was a vast heterogeneity of incidence of deaths caused by malaria globally in different continents, and the highest malaria burden was observed in AFR. In 2020, there was an obviously increasing trend in the malaria epidemic in AFR, while the other four continents exhibited stable and declining patterns. Historically, malaria has been largely concentrated in high-malaria-burden regions, such as West Africa, and there has been an obvious increasing trend in Nigeria. These data suggest that dynamic changes in the malaria epidemic situation worldwide have primarily originated from AFR, and West Africa has played an important role in the global malaria increase in recent years. Under the coercion of COVID-19, multiple factors have co-driven the increase in malaria in AFR, including insufficient financial investments, a high native malaria burden, weak surveillance systems, limited medical resources, and low socioeconomic development levels. In addition, the shift of medical resources (e.g., health workers and personal protective equipment (PPE), the manufacturing of diagnostic reagents, and drugs) from malaria control to emergency COVID-19 response in the pandemic’s early stage caused disruptions, reductions, and delays in pillar malaria control measures, leading to a significant negative impact on malaria control. In particular, a funding shortfall at both the international and domestic levels led to a “significant threat,” resulting in vast gaps in access to proven malaria control tools. Although there has been a declining trend in malaria control over time due to COVID-19, the effect still cannot be ignored. Hence, we recommend the implementation of medical and technical resource assistance as a priority strategy to support Africa (West Africa) in order to curb further transmission.

COVID-19 and malaria co-infection: a systematic review of clinical outcomes in endemic areas

“…The emergence of the corona virus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic indirectly increased the prevalence of malaria as the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in disruptions of health services in sub-Saharan Africa ( Gao et al, 2023 ). The quarantine measures disturb the continuity of the global malaria programs, the seasonal malaria chemoprevention, and the insecticide-treated bed nets distribution ( Gao et al, 2023 ).…”

“…The emergence of the corona virus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic indirectly increased the prevalence of malaria as the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in disruptions of health services in sub-Saharan Africa ( Gao et al, 2023 ). The quarantine measures disturb the continuity of the global malaria programs, the seasonal malaria chemoprevention, and the insecticide-treated bed nets distribution ( Gao et al, 2023 ). Morbidity and mortality continue to be of interest globally, particularly in pandemics like COVID-19, which have overburdened healthcare systems and were therefore anticipated to have severe pandemic effects ( Filip et al, 2022 ).…”

A Comparative Study of Genetic Diversity and Multiplicity of Infection in Uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum Infections in Selected Regions of Pre-Elimination and High Transmission Settings Using MSP1 and MSP2 Genes

“…However, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently reported 247 million malaria cases in 2021, as against 245 million cases reported in 2020 and 231 million cases in 2019. This marked increase might be partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused interruptions of malaria control interventions in many malaria-endemic countries [ 3 ], as funds for malaria control were diverted to curtail the effects of the pandemic in low and middle income countries [ 4 , 5 ]. WHO estimates indicate that African regions have the largest malaria burden in the world, accounting for 95% of cases and 96% of deaths from the disease, with children under the age of five accounting for 80% of these deaths [ 3 ].…”

Impact of 1,7-malaria reactive community-based testing and response (1,7-mRCTR) approach on malaria prevalence in Tanzania

“…High-transmission settings in sub-Saharan Africa have been affected by inadequate intervention coverage, gaps in health system access and quality, changes in vector bionomics, insecticide resistance, lack of rigorous routine surveillance systems, and poor socioeconomic conditions, including poor quality housing [ 2 – 4 ]. Health service disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic have further strained health systems’ capacity to respond to malaria [ 5 ].…”