WHO calls on all partners to help prevent resurgence of malaria in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on all partners to intensify efforts to prevent a resurgence of malaria in Pakistan, emphasizing the need for coordinated and sustained action across all sectors.

On the occasion of World Malaria Day, the organization stressed that, for the first time, eliminating malaria within our lifetime is an achievable goal, provided countries strengthen surveillance, expand prevention measures, and ensure timely access to effective treatment.

In 2025, Pakistan reduced malaria incidence by 10% compared to 2024, but it still reported 1.8 million cases, as the country has not yet recovered from the surge triggered by the 2022 climate-driven floods – from 399,097 confirmed infections in 2021 to a peak of 2.7 million in 2023.

Progress is at risk due to factors such as climate change, a massive global funding gap of US$ 5.4 billion and recent cuts in global health aid, which have disrupted health systems, surveillance, and campaigns, demonstrating how quickly hard-fought gains can be reversed.

As part of World Malaria Day celebrations, WHO and partners have launched a global campaign to seize the opportunity to protect lives now and fund a malaria-free future, under the theme “Driven to End Malaria: Now We Can. Now We Must.”

“With the tools and resources available today, together, we have the historic opportunity to offer a malaria-free world to our children and our grandchildren. WHO stands with Pakistan to continue strengthening the response, providing science-based technical support to build together a future where no family should lose a loved one to malaria.”

In April 2026, WHO supported a country-led malaria programme review that visited health facilities across different provinces.

The goal to collect evidence and lessons learned to continue reinforcing prevention, surveillance, case management, evidence-based vector control, data systems, and outbreak preparedness at the Federal and the provincial levels.

In 2025, Pakistan screened about 16.9 million suspected cases and provided free treatment to most of the close to 1.8 million confirmed patients in collaboration with WHO, partners, the private sector and civil society – and with funding support from the Global Fund to defeat AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria.

Approximately 12 million nets to prevent mosquito bites were distributed in Pakistan over a three-year period from 2023 to 2025. In addition, community-based case management has been recently adopted and shows strong potential for hard-to-reach communities.