Surging Malaria Rates in Ethiopia: A Growing Concern

Surging Malaria Rates in Ethiopia: A Cause for Concern

Malaria infection rates are alarmingly increasing in Ethiopia, where a confluence of factors such as armed conflict, climate change, and the mosquitoes’ growing resistance to both medications and insecticides has exacerbated the spread of a disease that the nation once believed it was successfully controlling. As of the end of September this year, Ethiopia has reported over 6.1 million malaria cases and 1,038 deaths, a stark rise compared to the 4.5 million cases and 469 deaths recorded throughout all of 2022.

Worryingly, health experts anticipate that the number of cases could surge even higher in the coming months, as the peak malaria season—driven by seasonal rainfall—starts in September and extends through the end of the year. “We’re experiencing a rapid backslide; it feels like we’ve regressed by a decade,” remarked Fitsum Tadesse, the lead scientist overseeing Ethiopia’s malaria program at the Armauer Hansen Research Institute in Addis Ababa, the nation’s capital.

The alarming increase in malaria cases in Ethiopia may serve as a warning sign for other countries in the region, where similar biological vulnerabilities exist, and the impacts of warfare and climate change are making populations more susceptible to this deadly disease.

Dr. Tadesse attributes part of the spike in malaria cases in Ethiopia to the escalating resistance of the malaria parasites to treatments that have long been fundamental to combating the disease. In addition, the local mosquito populations are becoming increasingly resistant to the insecticides commonly used in protective bed nets and indoor spraying initiatives. Moreover, these mosquitoes have adapted in ways that allow them to evade detection by some of the most widely used malaria diagnostic tests.

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