More than two-thirds of deaths were among children under the age of five living in the African region.
She said the disease was once endemic across most of the world, sweeping through the Americas in the 1600s and reaching as far north as the Arctic coast and east as Japan. Ms Moeti said today marks the 16th WMD and an appropriate time to take stock of malaria’s devastating impacts on people’s lives and economic development in the African region.
She also said at least 28 countries in Africa have expressed interest in introducing the vaccine, with some additional countries to start in early 2024. “As I said before it’s not just about improving the budget, it’s about making sure the budget is released and when the budget is released, it is making sure that 80 per cent of it goes to the primary care level where 80 per cent of the communities get first contact with health care services,” he said.He noted that the WMD gives an opportunity to renew political commitments and bolster investments in malaria prevention and control.