Africa-Press – Mozambique. Former Mozambican Health Minister Ivo Garrido criticised the persistent stagnation in malaria prevalence and incidence rates in Mozambique, highlighting failures in the disease’s prevention.
“We are failing particularly in prevention. Some maps were presented here showing the evolution of malaria prevalence and incidence over decades, and what we observe is that sometimes there is a slight decrease, but the overall trend is practically stagnation,” Garrido said during the Annual Malaria Forum in Nampula, northern Mozambique.
According to the former minister, who served from 2005 to 2010, malaria incidence and prevalence “have barely changed” in Mozambique since independence in 1975, despite efforts to combat the disease.
“Prevalence remains the same, incidence remains the same… Something is not working well in our malaria control strategy,” he added, also criticising the importation of medical supplies produced domestically.
“What I mean is, you in Nampula [producers] export cotton, while I, here in Maputo, have to import cotton,” he said, referring to a conversation with the governor of the province.
Health authorities in Nampula province reported that at least 87 people died from malaria in the first ten months of this year, out of more than two million who contracted the disease.
“Our province faces complex and multifaceted challenges that require a collective and inclusive approach. It is time to put aside religious, cultural and political differences and unite efforts to find solutions,” said Eduardo Abdula, governor of Nampula.
The Mozambican Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday that the country recorded approximately 10.3 million malaria cases between January and September, compared with nine million in the same period last year — a 14% increase in new cases.
On 17 June, authorities reported that at least 270 people had died of malaria from January to May this year.
In 2024, at least 358 people died from the disease in Mozambique, which recorded over 11.5 million cases and around 67,000 hospital admissions, according to the Mozambican President on World Malaria Day, 25 April, who called for greater protection of children.
The R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine, the second vaccine for children developed by the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, is already in use in Mozambique, following recommendations from the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) and the Malaria Policy Advisory Group (MPAG).
