Despite spending $4 billion annually, the number of malaria cases and deaths has not significantly changed over the past decade, especially in Africa. Last year, the WHO's African Region reported the broadest malaria outbreak burden.
Based on today's U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Travel Health Advisory, health agencies are not optimistic about seeing any improvement in this trend by 2025.
Today, the CDC confirmed an ongoing malaria outbreak in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, affecting all 14 country regions. More than 8.4 million malaria cases were reported, the highest number of cases ever reported within a year.
To bolster Ethiopia’s fight against malaria, the United States Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, donated 175 computer terminals to the Ethiopian Public Health Institute on January 15, 2025.
Additional U.S. support includes over $27.5 million of antiretroviral supplies, early infant diagnostics, quality assessment panels, lab equipment, and more.
Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite that spreads to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes, commonly found in Africa.
If you plan to travel to Ethiopia in 2025, the CDC recommends speaking with a travel health expert about which antimalarial drug is best for you. And seek medical care immediately if you develop fever, chills, sweats, headache, vomiting, or body aches during or after travel to Ethiopia.
In 2024, numerous international travelers brought malaria back with them.
As of the week ending November 23, 2024, the CDC confirmed 1,772 malaria cases, mostly among international travelers arriving in New York City (232), Texas, Miami, Florida, and Los Angeles, California.
While malaria vaccines are available in Africa, they are not FDA-approved in the U.S. and remain unavailable in the U.S.
Furthermore, innovative vaccine candidates, such as the RH5.1/Matrix-M malaria vaccine, are proceeding in late-stage clinical trials. Developed at the University of Oxford, this vaccine targets blood-stage malaria, unlike previously approved vaccines that target the pre-erythrocyte stage.