ISLAMABAD: Pakistani top leaders on Thursday called on the government, international partners and organizations, health care professionals, and individuals to unite in their efforts to end malaria, one of the leading causes of illness and death in Pakistan according to the World Health Organization.

The Pakistani prime minister and president sent out the message on World Malaria Day, commemorated on April 25 each year to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for malaria prevention and control. The day was instituted by WHO Member States during the World Health Assembly of 2007.

According to WHO data, from January through August 2022, more than 3.4 million suspected cases of malaria were reported in Pakistan compared with the 2.6 million suspected cases reported in 2021. Over 170 000 cases were laboratory confirmed.

A rapid upsurge in cases was observed in Balochistan and Sindh provinces after devastating floods in mid-June 2022, together accounting for 78 percent of all confirmed cases. The risk was assessed by the WHO as very high considering the effect of the flood crisis on the capacity of the national health system.

“In his message on the occasion of World Malaria Day, PM emphasized collaborative efforts to strengthen health care systems, increase access to quality diagnosis and treatment, and raise awareness about the importance of prevention and control measures of malaria,” state-run Radio Pakistan said, reporting on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s message.

The PM called on research and academic institutions “to flag scientific advances to both experts and the general public, international partners, companies and foundations to showcase their efforts and reflect on how to further scale up malaria control interventions.”

He said Pakistan had significantly enhanced free malaria testing and treatment facilities in malaria-endemic districts across the country through collaboration between the health ministry, national and international partners, provincial counterparts, NGOs and private stakeholders.

In a separate message, President Asif Ali Zardari emphasized collective efforts to curb malaria and expressed concerns over the rise in malaria cases due to the 2022 floods.

“Zardari called upon the provincial governments and other stakeholders to unite to deal with this alarming situation. He also called for raising awareness about the disease,” Radio Pakistan said.

Pakistan was hit by devastating floods in June 2022 which resulted in over 33 million people being affected, 81 districts being declared as calamity-hit and the national health infrastructure being badly impacted.

An upsurge in reported malaria cases was observed after the floods. In Sindh province, confirmed malaria cases in August 2022 reached 69,123 compared to 19,826 cases reported in August 2021. In Balochistan province, 41,368 confirmed cases were reported in August 2022 compared to 22,032 confirmed cases in August 2021. These two provinces together accounted for 78 percent of all reported confirmed cases in Pakistan in 2022. 

Reports from 62 high-burden districts indicated that additional 210,715 cases were reported in September 2022, compared to 178,657 cases reported in the same districts in August 2022.