Yaounde Declaration: Health ministers of 11 African countries commit to end malaria deaths

Subject: IR

Section: Int Conventions

Context:

In a historic meeting in Yaoundé, Cameroon, African health ministers and key malaria stakeholders committed to ending malaria deaths, acknowledging the urgent need given the availability of tools and systems.

Yaounde Declaration:

Malaria cases globally rose from 233 million in 2019 to 249 million in 2022, with Africa experiencing an increase from 218 million to 233 million cases, highlighting its status as the epicentre of the malaria crisis.
The 11 participating African countries (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania) account for over 70% of the global malaria burden.
The Yaoundé Declaration reflects an “unwavering commitment” to fight malaria, including a pledge by African heads of state to allocate 15% of their annual budgets to health sector strengthening.
Key focuses include addressing root causes of malaria stagnation, enhancing health infrastructure and personnel capacity, fostering multi-sectoral collaboration, and holding countries accountable for their commitments.
Despite the declaration’s lack of new commitments and specific targets, it marks a significant milestone in the fight against malaria.
The African Unionaims to control and eliminate malaria by 2030, but progress has fallen short of interim goals, with significant financial gaps hindering efforts.
The continent requires $1.5 billion to sustain basic malaria services and an additional $5.2 billion annually for progress towards elimination, plus $11 billion annually for climate adaptation in the health sector.

About Malaria:

Caused by the Plasmodium parasite.
The parasite is spread to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes. People who have malaria usually feel very sick with a high fever and shaking chills.
Once the parasites enter the human body, they travel to the liver — where some types can lie dormant for as long as a year.
When the parasites mature, they leave the liver and infect your red blood cells. This is when people typically develop malaria symptoms.
Disease-causing Microbes:
- 5 Plasmodium parasite species cause malaria in humans.
- falciparum and P. vivax pose the greatest threat.
- falciparum – deadliest malarial parasite and the most prevalent on the African continent. 95% of all cases of P. falciparum occur in the African region and are associated with severe disease and disease-associated mortality.
- P. vivax – geographically most widespread in tropical and subtropical regions. Dominant in most countries outside of sub-Saharan Africa
- Other 3 Plasmodium species infecting humans – P. malariae, P. ovale and P. knowlesi.

Source: DTE