Welcome to the latest edition of the Malaria Consortium Newsletter. This month, in the wake of COP26, we're drawing attention to the impacts of climate change on vector-borne diseases like malaria.

Malaria is one of the most significant vector-borne diseases affecting populations in low-income countries, primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa. Because mosquito vectors breed in water bodies, changes in rainfall, temperature, and relative humidity effect the life cycle of the Anopheles mosquitoes and temperature also affects growth and multiplication of the Plasmodium parasite inside the vector.

Studies have shown that abnormal increases in temperature in certain areas such as the highlands in East Africa and Horn of Africa have caused severe malaria epidemics in the past. Increased rainfall and flooding in warm and arid lowlands have caused similar epidemics. Long-term rises in temperature in some regions of Africa and South America have been linked with expansion of the geographic limits of malaria transmission.

Studies indicate that scaling up malaria control interventions over the past two decades has helped to offset the impact of long-term climatic changes on malaria transmission. However, the effects of climate change on malaria transmission need to be investigated alongside the dynamics of other factors for a more complete understanding of the long-term impacts. Short-term extreme weather or long-term climate change could create favourable conditions for both the parasite and the vector’s life cycles unless control interventions are sustained long enough for malaria transmission to be interrupted. Otherwise, epidemics in areas with reduced malaria burden remain a risk in endemic regions. Investment in effective disease surveillance capable of detecting abnormal increases and outbreaks in malaria incidence is critical.
 
Tarekegn Abeku
Senior Technical Specialist, Disease Prevention