Africa is the region most affected by malaria in the world. The total number of reported deaths in the continent due to the disease was around 91,300 deaths in 2022, increasing slighly from 91,100 deaths thousand in the previous year. From a country perspective, the Democratic Republic of the Congo registered the highest amount of casualties, nearly 24,900 , followed by Angola, with some 12,500 deaths.

Africa is the region most affected by malaria in the world. Around 175 million cases of the disease were reported in the continent in 2021. That same year, approximately 91.1 thousand deaths due to malaria were reported in Africa.

In 2023, Nigeria accounted for nearly 26 percent of all malaria cases worldwide, by far the highest share of any country. The Democratic Republic of the Congo had the second-highest share of malaria cases that year with 12.6 percent, followed by Uganda with 4.8 percent. Malaria is an infectious disease spread by female mosquitoes. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, vomiting, and headache and if left untreated the disease may lead to death. The region most impacted by malaria In 2023, there were a total of 263,000 cases of malaria worldwide. The region of Africa accounted for 246,000 of these cases, making it by far the region most impacted by this deadly disease. In comparison, Southeast Asia reported four thousand malaria cases in 2023, while the Americas had just 548. However, incidence rates of malaria have decreased around the world over the past couple decades. In Africa, the incidence rate of malaria decreased from 369 per 1,000 at risk in the year 2000 to 223 per 1,000 at risk in 2022. Worldwide, the incidence rate of malaria decreased from 79 to 60 per 1,000 at risk during this period. How many people die from malaria each year? Although rates of malaria have decreased around the world, hundreds of thousands of people still die from malaria each year, with the majority of these deaths in Africa. In 2023, around 597,000 people died from malaria worldwide, with 569,000 of these deaths occurring in Africa. However, death rates from malaria have decreased in Africa, with a rate of 62.5 per 100,000 at risk in the year 2015 compared to a rate of 52.4 per 100,000 at risk in 2023. In 2023, Nigeria accounted for around 31 percent of all malaria deaths, while 11 percent of such deaths were in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

BackgroundAround 8.8 million children under-five die each year, mostly due to infectious diseases, including malaria that accounts for 16% of deaths in Africa, but the impact of international financing of malaria control on under-five mortality in sub-Saharan Africa has not been examined. Methods and FindingsWe combined multiple data sources and used panel data regression analysis to study the relationship among investment, service delivery/intervention coverage, and impact on child health by observing changes in 34 sub-Saharan African countries over 2002–2008. We used Lives Saved Tool to estimate the number of lives saved from coverage increase of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs)/indoor residual spraying (IRS). As an indicator of outcome, we also used under-five mortality rate. Global Fund investments comprised more than 70% of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) for malaria control in 34 countries. Each $1 million ODA for malaria enabled distribution of 50,478 ITNs [95%CI: 37,774–63,182] in the disbursement year. 1,000 additional ITNs distributed saved 0.625 lives [95%CI: 0.369–0.881]. Cumulatively Global Fund investments that increased ITN/IRS coverage in 2002–2008 prevented an estimated 240,000 deaths. Countries with higher malaria burden received less ODA disbursement per person-at-risk compared to lower-burden countries ($3.90 vs. $7.05). Increased ITN/IRS coverage in high-burden countries led to 3,575 lives saved per 1 million children, as compared with 914 lives in lower-burden countries. Impact of ITN/IRS coverage on under-five mortality was significant among major child health interventions such as immunisation showing that 10% increase in households with ITN/IRS would reduce 1.5 [95%CI: 0.3–2.8] child deaths per 1000 live births. ConclusionsAlong with other key child survival interventions, increased ITNs/IRS coverage has significantly contributed to child mortality reduction since 2002. ITN/IRS scale-up can be more efficiently prioritized to countries where malaria is a major cause of child deaths to save greater number of lives with available resources.

Malaria is the cause of nearly half a million deaths worldwide each year, posing a great socioeconomic burden. Despite recent progress in understanding the influence of climate on malaria infection rates, climatic sources of predictability remain poorly understood and underexploited. Local weather variability alone provides predictive power at short lead times of 1–2 months, too short to adequately plan intervention measures. Here, we show that tropical climatic variability and associated sea surface temperature over the Pacific and Indian Oceans are valuable for predicting malaria in Limpopo, South Africa, up to three seasons ahead. Climatic precursors of malaria outbreaks are first identified via lag-regression analysis of climate data obtained from reanalysis and observational datasets with respect to the monthly malaria case count data provided from 1998–2020 by the Malaria Institute in Tzaneen, South Africa. Out of 11 sea surface temperature sectors analyzed, two regions, the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean regions, emerge as the most robust precursors. The predictive value of these precursors is demonstrated by training a suite of machine-learning classification models to predict whether malaria case counts are above or below the median historical levels and assessing their skills in providing early warning predictions of malaria incidence with lead times ranging from 1 month to a year. Through the development of this prediction system, we find that past information about SST over the western Pacific Ocean offers impressive prediction skills (~80% accuracy) for up to three seasons (9 months) ahead. SST variability over the tropical Indian Ocean is also found to provide good skills up to two seasons (6 months) ahead. This outcome represents an extension of the effective prediction lead time by about one to two seasons compared to previous prediction systems that were more computationally costly compared to the machine learning techniques used in the current study. It also demonstrates the value of climatic information and the prediction framework developed herein for the early planning of interventions against malaria outbreaks.

This data asset contains facility-based data on malaria stock status, commodity management, and case management. The President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) is a U.S. Government initiative designed to reduce malaria deaths and illnesses in target countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, with a long-term vision of a world without malaria. Enacted in 2005, the current strategy sets out to meet the following goals: (1) reduce malaria mortality by one-third from 2015 levels in PMI-supported countries, achieving greater than 80% reduction from PMI’s original 2000 levels; (2) reduce malaria morbidity in PMI-supported countries by 40% from 2015 levels; and (3) assist at least five PMI-supported countries to meet the WHO criteria for national or sub-national pre-elimination. The strategy is built around five focus areas to achieve these goals: (1) Achieving and sustaining scale of proven interventions; (2) adapting to changing epidemiology and incorporating new tools; (3) improving countries’ capacity to collect and use information; (4) mitigating risk against the current malaria control gains; and (5) building capacity and health systems. The data contains information about malaria case management, commodity management for the following countries: Burkina Faso, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) is a U.S. Government initiative designed to reduce malaria deaths and illnesses in target countries in sub-Saharan Africa with a long-term vision of a world without malaria. This asset contains six excel datasets that include information related to pharmaceuticals products used for malaria treatment, commodity shipments during the 2013 fiscal year, and the status of stocks and delivery plans covering fiscal years 2013 to 2018. Four datasets are unrestricted and open for general public use: - PMI GHSC_Product_Master - PMI Commodity Shipments under DELIVER - PMI Commodity Shipments under PSM, and - PMI Product Status (PPRMmFY13-FY2018) Two datasets are with restrictions and not open for general public use: - PMI Product Harmonization_GF inputs - Restricted Public. Disclosure is prohibited unless approved by GC and subject to a Data Use Agreement. - PMI Stockout Rates - Non-Public. Disclosure outside USAID is prohibited. The data asset also includes summary reports in pdf format both on procurement and on malaria treatment.

In 2021, the leading causes of death in Africa were lower respiratory infections, malaria, and stroke. That year, lower respiratory infections resulted in around 65 deaths per 100,000 population in Africa. Leading causes of death in Africa vs the world Worldwide, the top three leading causes of death in 2021 were heart disease, COVID-19, and stroke. At that time, some of the leading causes of death in Africa, such as lower respiratory infections and stroke, were among the leading causes worldwide, but there were also stark differences in the leading causes of death in Africa compared to the leading causes worldwide. For example, malaria, diarrheal disease, and preterm birth complications were among the top ten leading causes of death in Africa, but not worldwide. Furthermore, HIV/AIDS was the eighth leading cause of death in Africa at that time, but was not among the top ten leading causes worldwide. HIV/AIDS in Africa Although HIV/AIDS impacts every region of the world, Africa is still the region most impacted by this deadly virus. Worldwide, there are around 40 million people currently living with HIV, with about 20.8 million found in Eastern and Southern Africa and 5.1 million in Western and Central Africa. The countries with the highest HIV prevalence worldwide include Eswatini, Lesotho, and South Africa, with the leading 20 countries by HIV prevalence all found in Africa. However, due in part to improvements in education and awareness, the prevalence of HIV in many African countries has decreased. For example, in Botswana, the prevalence of HIV decreased from 26.1 percent to 16.6 percent in the period from 2000 to 2023.

From 2008 to 2019, deaths in Ghana resulting from malaria have been most prevalent among children under the age of five, followed by people aged 15 to 49 years. Malaria affected a large number of people in Ghana throughout the years, causing roughly 21.6 thousand deaths in 2019. Pregnant women and infants are generally the most vulnerable to malarial infection. Although the number of malaria deaths has decreased over the years, it has remained one of the leading cause of illnesses and deaths in the country. Most malaria cases and deaths are found in the Africa region, compared to the rest of the world.

The President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) is a U.S. Government initiative designed to reduce malaria deaths and illnesses in target countries in sub-Saharan Africa with a long-term vision of a world without malaria. This asset contains two data files that hold budget code information for projects with the associated FY18 budget and activity descriptions. USAID has made these data publicly available since 2006 as part of the Country Malaria Operating Plans. The data are updated annually.

Data showing Malaria Mortality Rate, Incidence Rate, and Infection Prevalence.

The President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) is a U.S. Government initiative designed to reduce malaria deaths and illnesses in target countries in sub-Saharan Africa with a long-term vision of a world without malaria. This asset contains one data file that holds aggregated national data for PMI vector control activities for fiscal years 2015 through 2018. The data were used to produce annual reports, which have been been made public through the following link: https://www.pmi.gov/resource-library/pmi-publications/annual-reports

Supplementary Material 1. Data extraction excel sheet and Completed QAREL checklist.

Africa is the region most affected by malaria in the world. Over ***** million cases of the disease were reported in the continent in 2022. From a country perspective, the Democratic Republic of the Congo registered the highest number of cases, some **** million, followed by Nigeria, with **** million cases. Overall, the total number of reported deaths due to the disease in Africa was around ****** as of 2022.

Supplementary Material 2. List of Included and Excluded articles

The President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) is a U.S. Government initiative designed to reduce malaria deaths and illnesses in target countries in sub-Saharan Africa with a long-term vision of a world without malaria. This dataset contains information on commodity shipments from April 2012 to February 2017. These data include among other things the following important data elements: Order#, Country, Product name, Manufacturer, Mode of transport, delivery status and date, and quantity.

BackgroundSevere malaria (SM) is a major cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa. Identification of both specific and sensitive clinical features to predict death is needed to improve clinical management. MethodsA 13-year observational study was conducted from 1997 through 2009 of 2,901 children with SM enrolled at the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital in The Gambia to identify sensitive and specific predictors of poor outcome in Gambian children with severe malaria between the ages 4 months to 14 years. We have measured the sensitivity and specificity of clinical features that predict death or development of neurological sequelae. FindingsImpaired consciousness (odds ratio {OR} 4.4 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 2.7–7.3]), respiratory distress (OR 2.4 [95%CI, 1.7–3.2]), hypoglycemia (OR 1.7 [95%CI, 1.2–2.3]), jaundice (OR 1.9 [95%CI, 1.2–2.9]) and renal failure (OR 11.1 [95%CI, 3.3–36.5]) were independently associated with death in children with SM. The clinical features that showed the highest sensitivity and specificity to predict death were respiratory distress (area under the curve 0.63 [95%CI, 0.60–0.65]) and impaired consciousness (AUC 0.61[95%CI, 0.59–0.63]), which were comparable to the ability of hyperlactatemia (blood lactate>5 mM) to predict death (AUC 0.64 [95%CI, 0.55–0.72]). A Blantyre coma score (BCS) of 2 or less had a sensitivity of 74% and specificity of 67% to predict death (AUC 0.70 [95% C.I. 0.68–0.72]), and sensitivity and specificity of 74% and 69%, respectively to predict development of neurological sequelae (AUC 0.72 [95% CI, 0.67–0.76]).The specificity of this BCS threshold to identify children at risk of dying improved in children less than 3 years of age (AUC 0.74, [95% C.I 0.71–0.76]). ConclusionThe BCS is a quantitative predictor of death. A BCS of 2 or less is the most sensitive and specific clinical feature to predict death or development of neurological sequelae in children with SM.

The President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) is a U.S. Government initiative designed to reduce malaria deaths and illnesses in target countries in sub-Saharan Africa with a long-term vision of a world without malaria. This dataset, also called the GHSC Product Master list (2018), contains information on categories of commodities used by the Bureau for Global Health. The commodities are identified by levels and product codes.

The President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) is a U.S. Government initiative designed to reduce malaria deaths and illnesses in target countries in sub-Saharan Africa with a long-term vision of a world without malaria. This data asset contains one dataset which reports on the insecticides used under the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI) Vector Control efforts by locality for 23 countries over time. Locality is reported at region/province, district/zone and village level along with Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates and an identifier code.

Drug Repurposing for malaria therapy: An in silico study

Malaria, an endemic disease in Africa, is caused by five protozoan parasite species, with Plasmodium falciparum causing the most severe infections. In the year 2022, over 233 million malaria cases were recorded in Africa, resulting in approximately 580,000 deaths. Resistance to the World Health Organization's endorsed Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACT) for malaria treatment underscores the urgent need for innovative approaches to combat this debilitating disease.

Drug repurposing, also known as drug repositioning or reprofiling, involves the identification of novel applications or uses for pre-existing medications initially designed for distinct therapeutic purposes. Numerous drugs exhibit multiple biological effects, and their modes of action may be pertinent to ailments beyond their originally intended usage. Drug repurposing therefore entails investigating the prospective utility of existing drugs in addressing diverse diseases or medical conditions instead of creating an entirely new pharmaceutical agent.

This study aimed at carrying out in silico screening of the drugs in the drug data bank for their potential antimalarial activity.

In this study, drugs categorized into 14 drug classes, including Antibiotics (105), Antihypertensives (177), Anti-inflammatory (79), Anti-diuretics (11), Anticancer (25), Antidiabetics (16), Anti-asthmatics (80), Vitamins (118), Antiemetics (36), Antidepressants (72), Statins (14), Diuretics (115), Antifungals (88), and Antivirals (115), were downloaded from the Drug Bank (https://go.drugbank.com/). Chloroquine and dihydroartemisinin were used as the reference compounds. The drug structures, initially in SDF format, were transformed to PDBQT format utilizing OpenBabel 2.4.1 (https://openbabel.org/).

Seven plasmodium targets, namely Plasmodium falciparum lactate dehydrogenase in complex with chloroquine (1CET), Plasmodium falciparum transketolase (3QVI), Plasmodium falciparum dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (6GJG), Falcipain 2 (3BPF), Falcipain 3 (3BPM), Plasmepsin 11 (3F9Q), and Plasmepsin 1V (ILS5), were retrieved in PDB format from the Protein Data Bank (https://www.rcsb.org/) and were converted to PDBQT format using Autodock 4.2 (http://mgltools.scripps.edu/).

Molecular docking simulations of the drugs with each target were conducted employing Autodock Vina (http://vina.scripps.edu/) with grid parameters detailed in Table 1. The resulting binding affinities of each drug to individual targets are presented in the accompanying file.

Table 1. Molecular Docking Grid Parameters

S/N

Target

Center x

Center y

Center z

Size x

Size y

Size z

1

1CET

34.792

15.612

18.721

56

42

62

2

3QVI

11.39

-8.53

-1.98

66

63

54

3

6GJG

11.94

-2.72

6.81

52

55

52

4

3BPF

-47.49

-12.34

-12.62

73

59

59

5

3BPM

-47.49

-12.34

-12.62

73

59

59

6

3F9Q

16.36

1.72

25.65

52

53

71

7

1LS5

-27.37

31.31

45.59

58

50

59