Malawi has recorded a sharp decline in malaria cases and deaths in the first half of 2026, representing progress towards eliminating the disease by 2030.
Ministry of Health and Sanitation data show that 1.17 million malaria cases were recorded between January and June this year, a 72 percent drop from the 4.26 million cases reported during the same period in 2025. Malaria-related deaths also fell by 51 percent, from 1 143 to 555.
on April 23 2019 at Mitundu Community Hospital. | Ministry of Health
Malawi has been implementing various interventions to control malaria, including nationwide distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, indoor residual spraying in high-risk districts, community awareness campaigns and integration of malaria vaccine into routine immunisation programme.
National Malaria Control Programme manager Lumbani Munthali in a separate interview said the latest figures reflect the impact of the sustained investments in malaria control.
He said: “The progress demonstrates that it is possible to achieve our goal of eliminating malaria if we sustain and intensify these interventions.”
Munthali said the Ministry of Health has adopted new tools in malaria control such as larval source management, malaria prophylaxis for school-age children and expanding school-based malaria testing in hard-to-reach areas.
He further said malaria control efforts are also expected to benefit from the National Health Fund intended to support domestic financing for the health sector.
Kamuzu University of Health Sciences epidemiology professor Adamson Muula said the decline reflects not only the implementation of malaria control measures but also the maturity of programmes that have been running for several years.
Malawi’s progress follows years of fluctuating malaria trends. Annual cases rose from 5.2 million in 2019 to about 6.9 million in 2021 before falling to 4.2 million in 2022. The cases then rose to 6.5 million in 2023 and 9.4 million in 2024 before declining to 5.4 million in 2025.
Under the National Malaria Strategic Plan 2023-2030, Malawi aims to eliminate malaria as a public health concern by 2030.
