Aid Cuts Threaten Zimbabwe’s Malaria Gains, With Cases and Deaths Surging

As
of
mid-April,
Zimbabwe
had
recorded
over
65,000
malaria
cases
in
2026,
nearly
double
as
many
malaria
cases
compared
to
the
same
period
in
2025,
with
174
deaths
already
–
nearly
double
the
number
for
2025. ^[1]

By
contrast,
between
January
and
April
2024
–
before
the
aid
cuts
–
Zimbabwe
only
had
around
17,000
cases
and
34
deaths,
which
is
just
about
half
of
the
cases
and
deaths
reported
over
the
same
period
in
2025
after
the
global
aid
cuts.

Last
year’s
aid
cuts
led
to
premature
ending
of
the
second
phase
of
the
country’s
largest
malaria
program
–
Zimbabwe
Assistance
Program
in
Malaria
–
which
had
been
on
track
towards
eliminating
the
deadly
disease.^[2] Save
the
Children,
one
of
the
four
partners
implementing
the
program,
said
the
closure
of
the
program
has
led
to
shortages
of
insecticide‑treated
mosquito
nets,
delays
in
vector
control
operations
and
weakened
disease
surveillance,
with
heavy
rainfall
and
fluctuating
weather
patterns
further
promoting
the
spread
of
the
disease.

Malaria
remains
the
single
largest
killer
of
children
over
one
month
of
age
globally
(17%)
–
with
most
deaths
occurring
in
endemic
areas
of
sub-Saharan
Africa,
according
to
a
report
from
the World
Health
Organization (WHO)
released
last
month.
According
to
the
report,
progress
towards
reducing
malaria
mortality
has
slowed
in
recent
years
after
steep
declines
between
2000
and
2015
with
climate
shocks,
invasive
mosquitos,
drug
resistance
and
other
biological
threats
continuing
to
affect
access
to
prevention
and
treatment.

However,
for
more
than
a
decade,
Zimbabwe
had
been
regarded
as
an
international
malaria
success
story.
Zimbabwe
made
the
greatest
gains
in
malaria
reduction globally
in
2024,
in
both
incidence
and
mortality.
From
2023
to
2024,
Zimbabwe
reduced
cases
by
76.6%
(equivalent
to
487,000
cases),
with
the
country
on
track
to
reach
a more
than
70%
reduction and
up
to
zero
incidence
in
2025.

Sustained
investment
by
international
partners,
including
through
the
Zimbabwe
Assistance
Program
in
Malaria,
was
one
of
the
key
factors
in
this
success,
and
by
2023,
more
than
one
fifth
of
the
population
of
Zimbabwe
was
living
in
malaria‑free
areas, according
to
WHO
data.

Save
the
Children
said
eliminating
malaria
is
possible,
but
only
if
commitment
is
sustained,
calling
for
predictable,
long‑term
investment
to
protect
children’s
lives
and
prevent
malaria
from
resurging
in
communities
that
had
begun
to
see
real
hope.

Save
the
Children’s
Country
Director
for
Zimbabwe
and
Malawi,
Bhekimpilo
Khanye,
said:
“Communities,
aid
agencies,
health
workers
and
the
government
had
been
working
together
for
years
to
beat
malaria
in
Zimbabwe,
and
we
were
making
real
progress.
Last
year’s
aid
cuts
have
hugely
set
us
back.

“These
were
projects
focused
on
the
total
elimination
of
malaria
from
certain
regions.
It
takes
a
while
to
reduce
numbers
but
once
the
malaria
parasite
numbers
start
to
dwindle
in
a
community,
it
has
a
knock-on
effect
–
fewer
places
for
them
to
grow
and
breed
means
increasingly
smaller
numbers
until
you
reach
zero.
However,
when
you
stop
this
work,
it
has
the
opposite
impact
–
numbers
start
to
rapidly
increase.
We
have
seen
a
complete
reversal,
with
the
gains
that
were
made
now
reversed.

“We
are
calling
on
global
donors
and
leaders
to
refocus
their
attention
on
malaria,
one
of
the
leading
global
causes
of
death
in
young
children.
We
know
its
preventable
and
together
we
can
bring
numbers
back
down
and
save
lives
in
Zimbabwe.”

Save
the
Children
has
worked
in
Zimbabwe
since
1983
and
is
currently
scaling
up
its
emergency
response
to
help
the
most
vulnerable
children.
The
agency
is
focusing
on
food
security,
health,
nutrition,
education
and
child
protection.