Anti-malaria funding cuts could lead to ‘deadliest resurgence ever’, study warns | Global health
Cutting rich countries’ contributions to a malaria fund could allow a resurgence of the disease, costing millions of lives and billions of pounds by the end of the decade, according to a new analysis.
The fight against malaria faces new threats, including extreme weather and humanitarian crises that increase the number of people at risk and growing biological resistance to insecticides and drugs, the report warns.
Gareth Jenkins, of Malaria No More UK, said: “Cutting funding risks the deadliest resurgence we have ever seen. »
Analysts say the cost to sub-Saharan Africa would be considerable, and the region’s leaders have called on the G7 to maintain investments. They also called on the private sector and wealthy individuals to step in, saying better control of the disease would boost economic growth and trade.
Joy Phumaphi, from the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (Alma), which co-commissioned the research with Malaria No More UK, said: “African countries are stepping up to the plate and we are calling on the rest of the world to join us on this journey, because we all need to be part of the final malaria story. »
The report estimates the impact of funding cuts to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria – which is seeking donations to cover costs from 2027 to 2029. The fund provides almost 60% of all international funding for the fight against malaria, such as bed nets and preventive medicines.
If funding was 20% less than in the last round, the researchers said there would be an additional 33 million cases and 82,000 deaths, as well as a loss of $5.14 billion (£3.83 billion) in GDP by 2030, the report said.
However, funding cuts appear likely. Germany pledged $1 billion to the fund last week, 23% lower than its last pledge. The UK government is said to be considering a figure 20% lower than its previous commitment, although it says no final decision has been made.
If a lack of funding led to the complete collapse of the preventive fight against malaria, the report estimates there would be 525 million additional cases, 990,000 additional deaths and a loss of GDP of $83 billion. Around 750,000 of these deaths concern children under the age of five, which represents “the loss of a generation to malaria”, warn the authors of the report.
Conversely, they said that if the Global Fund received the full $18 billion it is requesting, there would be a $230 billion increase in GDP, 865 million fewer cases and 1.86 million fewer deaths.
Phumaphi said there had been “marked increases [domestic] budget allocation not only to health, but specifically to malaria, especially since the beginning of this year.
But she added: “I think we need to realize the enormity of the challenge and exactly how much funding is needed for countries to catch up. »
African countries heavily burdened by debt servicing and the economic fallout from Covid-19 are facing not only infectious diseases, but also a growing epidemic of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and cancer, she said.
It is worrying, Phumaphi said, that donor countries plan to commit less than in the last round, “but we are grateful that countries like Germany have pledged substantial sums – a billion is quite a substantial sum”.
Botswana’s former health minister said she hoped wealthy individuals, the private sector and foundations would step up their efforts “because when we talk about productivity, jobs, [and the] economic potential that Africa tends to lose, we are talking about investments and potential markets for the private sector.
One such person, Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote, encouraged others to join him in closing the funding gap: “Malaria is not just a health crisis; it is an $83 billion drag on Africa’s growth and businesses. Businesses cannot thrive in sick communities.”
The impact of malaria on GDP was measured using factors such as school disruptions, employee absences and the impact on tourism and agriculture.
