Ministers of Health commit to accelerated action against malaria in Africa
Health ministers from the African nations with the highest malaria rates pledged to quicken efforts to stop malaria-related fatalities. They committed to tackling the problem of malaria in the African continent, which is responsible for 95% of malaria deaths worldwide, in a sustainable and equitable manner. The ministers signed a declaration promising to strengthen domestic funding and leadership for malaria control programmes, guarantee additional investment in data technology, implement the most recent technical guidelines for malaria control and elimination, and improve national and subnational malaria control initiatives. Co-hosted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Government of Cameroon, the Yaoundé conference brought together key stakeholders in the fight against malaria, including funding agencies, scientists, civil society organisations, and ministers of health. In addition to discussing mitigation strategies and funding for malaria, the ministerial conference sought to agree on effective strategies and responses for accelerated malaria mortality reduction in Africa and to establish a roadmap for increased political commitment and societal engagement in malaria control. The conference also aimed to review progress and challenges in achieving the targets of the WHO global malaria strategy. The "High burden to high impact" strategy, which is based on four pillars—political will to reduce malaria fatalities; strategic information to drive impact; improved guidelines, policies, and strategies; and a coordinated national malaria response—is in line with the declaration signed at the conference today. WHO recommends strong commitment to malaria responses at all levels, especially in high-burden countries; increased funding both domestically and internationally; science- and data-driven malaria responses; immediate action on the health impacts of climate change; innovation and research utilisation; and strong partnerships for coordinated responses in order to get malaria progress back on track.