SADC Malaria Cases Rise as Funding Cuts and Climate Shocks Hit Region

Malaria case numbers in the Southern African Development Community have risen over the past two years, reversing hard-earned gains and threatening the World Health Organization target to eliminate the disease by 2030, The Conversation reported.

Four nations in the region—the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Angola, and Tanzania—account for 22.9% of the global malaria burden, calculated by new cases per 1,000 people at risk annually. National programs remain overstretched and under-resourced as unpredictable funding shifts worsen the strain.

Grant Cycle 8’s replenishment goal of US$18 billion for the Global Fund faces steeper hurdles following the abrupt termination of US government backing for vital malaria control efforts in 2025. Consequently, country allocations running from 2026 to 2028 are on average 18% lower than previous allocations, forcing governments to make difficult choices about protection.

Programs have had to scale back bednet distribution, indicator surveys, and preventative drugs. These cuts leave gaps in protecting less vulnerable populations while deprioritizing elimination activities, driving up cases in countries such as Mozambique, Nigeria, and Uganda.

Extreme weather events have intensified regional vulnerabilities. The La Niña weather system in early 2026 caused severe flooding that damaged infrastructure and displaced local communities across several SADC nations.

During the initial six weeks of 2026, Mozambique recorded a 55% rise in infections relative to the identical timeframe in 2025. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe reported 65,399 cases during the first quarter of 2026, almost twice as many as reported in quarter one of 2025.

Displaced populations frequently cross borders for basic services, straining healthcare facilities and increasing drug stockout risks. Approximately 11.4 million people were forcibly displaced across the SADC region in 2025—a 35% jump from 2023 levels—according to joint estimates by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration.

Genetic changes in parasites mean recommended treatments fail to work as effectively as before. However, many SADC countries lack the capacity to analyze this genetic evidence.

African governments should be investing more in their own countries’ malaria control and elimination efforts, The Conversation reported.