An Analysis by Vivian Ihechu

Malaria remains a severe threat to human health, especially in sub-Saharan Africa where the burden of the disease is centred.

Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female anopheles mosquitoes, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Millions of lives are at risk from this preventable illness, and most of the 600,000 deaths each year are of children under-five years of age.

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While great progress was made in the first two decades of the century- the global mortality rate for malaria halved between 2000 and 2015.

Also, case incidence fell by 26 per cent -the progress needed for the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target on malaria, which requires a 90 per cent reduction in case incidence and mortality rates by 2030, is now off-track.

A report, the “Malaria Dividend Why Investing in Malaria Elimination Creates Returns For All,” says that since the latter half of the 2010s, overall global progress has stalled.

Staying on the current trajectory not only costs the lives and wellbeing of millions, it also leaves billions of dollars of economic progress unrealised.

The report, which was commissioned by Malaria No More UK, a partner of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, to the Oxford Economics Africa (OEA), is to model and assess the economic impact of meeting the SDGs target for malaria.

The report notes that a combination of factors is contributory to the stalling of the progress in malaria elimination.

They include the disruptive impacts on malaria programming from climate change and conflict, growing drug and insecticide resistance, and the persistent impact on economies from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nevertheless, an analysis of the report shows that investing in malaria control and elimination programmes doesn’t just save lives, it is also economically smart for malaria-endemic countries and their international partners.

It shows that achieving the target through a 90 per cent reduction in case incidence by 2030 (set out as an indicator for the target) could significantly boost the Gross Domestic Product of malaria-endemic countries by $142.7 billion  over the 2023–2030 period analysed.

This will also have global benefits by increasing international trade by $80.7 billion over the same timeline, including direct trade benefits for G7 countries of $3.9billion in additional exports.

This underscores the economic benefits of ending malaria, not just for affected endemic countries but for the whole global economy.

These gains can only be realised by getting back on track to achieving the target set for 2030.

In spite of being off-track to meet the 2030 target on malaria, the global campaign to end the disease has much cause for optimism.

Speaking to the Nigeria context on the situation and implication, Dr  Boluwatife Oluwafunmilola Lola-Dare, a Public Health Physician, one of the investigators of the report, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) the imperative of intensifying the efforts.

Lola-Dare, also the President of CHESTRAD Global in UK, said the situation analysis of malaria was concerning.

According to her, the World Malaria 2023 Report is a very sobering one, showing we are losing the earlier gains of malaria, as it is beginning to resurge in many parts of the world.

“Malaria is not only a disruptor but also an indicator.

“In 2022, we had 600,080 malaria deaths, 24 million to malaria and 94 per cent of all malaria cases were in WHO AFRO region countries. That is a huge burden.

“It is unacceptable that Nigeria leads from the pack of morbidities from the front.

“Nigeria has the highest burden of malaria. Nigeria has the highest number of deaths due to malaria in the world.

“It is expected that with the opportunity of new government, our new president can change the narrative,” she said.

On how we got to where we are, Lola-Dare said: “The world is trying to recover from the tsunami of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ukraine war, food security, energy security, and the massive economic impact of the way we responded to COVID-19 pandemic.

“We responded with a lot of money, closure of borders, economies, the economic benefit, economic impact of our response, all are what we are suffering from.

“When we responded to COVID-19, we dropped the ball of almost everything, not just malaria, and not just in Nigeria, everywhere. The world dropped almost everything to protect the world.

“So, investing in malaria control for economic growth and prosperity in Nigeria is critical.”

Suggesting possible ways to changing the narrative, she says it will involve investing in coordinated, aligned implementation of all malaria interventions.

She noted that the disruptive influence of malaria in Nigeria requires a sector-wide approach integrating various interventions across different sectors.
She added that increased malaria campaign would boost productivity.

She emphasised the need for coordinated efforts and increased investment in the health sector, as well as a centralised approach led by the President and the Minister of Health to achieve malaria elimination and sustainable development.

Also, she highlights the potential for investing in malaria to create a new economy and support local production, while stressing the importance of aligning interventions and coordinating across sectors.

“Two things, we need to build back public trust and rebuild our economies.

“Impacting on malaria, which will be in two ways- to interrupt the disruptive effect of malaria to yield the economic benefits of doing so.

“And that is what the malaria dividend report does for us. It builds the economic impact of bending the curve for malaria.

“If we interrupt it, we will start to reduce the morbidity and mortality realising that malaria is not a respecter of age, gender nor economic status,” she said.

According to her, the economic impact of malaria due to absence from school, work, farming, trading and others are huge.

She observed that stopping absence from school, work, agriculture, enterprises due to malaria, would result to massive economic yield.

“This is not just an economic gain but a human capital development gain. It is a social equity gain.

“So, interrupting that disruptive influence will reduce not only morbidity and impact on productivity, it will reduce mortality and the impact of chronic grief too.

“Not only that, it will also be a systems resilient issue as investing in malaria is strengthening one’s national health system,” she said.

Lola-Dare described investment in malaria as an important economic product.

“For instance, only three per cent of our commodities are produced locally.

“ Investing in local production for malaria also means that we are generating a new economy.

“Nigeria has the potential to support the local production for the whole of West Africa, with nearly 70 per cent of the African GDP, Nigeria can.

“Imagine how many bed nets we can produce in Nigeria.

“ It also generates citizens’ prosperity and economic growth and it leads off a trailer from malaria vaccine, malaria bed nets, malaria drugs, malaria commodities, to the rapid diagnostic test.

“We can be a production hub for malaria, and that is an economic benefit,” she said.

Lola-Dare called for a change in narrative in malaria elimination.

“So, when we say that we were calling for change in the narrative, we’re changing the narrative from a disruptor to a system performance impact, from a cost to issue of citizens’ prosperity and economic integration.

“That’s what we know that can happen if we invest in malaria elimination,” she added.

In summary, beyond being a health issue, malaria is an economic challenge hence there is need for intensified campaign and investment in malaria control.

This will be aiming at disrupting malaria’s destructive influence, reducing mortality, as well as improving productivity, economic growth and prosperity in Nigeria across sectors.

It will help in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of a 90 per cent reduction in malaria incidence thereby boosting the GDP, and for Nigeria, it can see a GDP boost of almost $35 billion between 2023 and 2030 if tackled.

In achieving this, experts say it is important to deploy a centralised approach, led by the President and the Health Minister, to achieve progress.

The result, it will impact resilient communities by achieving – citizens prosperity, economic growth, social justice and equity, human capital development and strong resilient communities.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)