South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
The 2025 World Malaria Report has shown that South Sudan accounted for an estimated 64 percent of malaria cases and 46 percent of deaths between 2021 and 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) report released on Friday said.
“Malaria is a major public health challenge in South Sudan, accounting for 64 percent of all reported disease cases from 2021 to 2024,” said the report on the World Malaria Day celebrated annually on April 25.
It indicated that malaria incidents increased from 162 to 212 cases per 1,000 population over four years.
It said that despite increased testing coverage of rapid diagnostic tests, malaria rose from 2 million tests in 2021 to 5 million in 2024, primarily using rapid diagnostic tests.
The report said Western Bahr El Ghazal State led in terms of malaria prevalence with 61 percent, followed by Northern Bahr el Ghazal with 56 percent and Warrap accounted for 54 percent.
“The country’s vulnerability to malaria is exacerbated by flooding, conflict-induced displacement, and weak health infrastructure, which creates conditions for transmission,” it said.
It said that extreme weather events and population movements between 2023 and 2024 led to a 20 percent surge in cases, with children under five and pregnant women excessively affected.
“Despite efforts to scale up interventions such as insecticide-treated nets and malaria vaccines, progress remains uneven due to logistical gaps, low community awareness, and systematic bottlenecks like supply chain disruption,” the report noted.
WHO said that without urgent action, malaria will continue to strain South Sudan’s fragile health system and also hinder socio-economic development.
“The 2025 outlook suggests these risk factors will persist, particularly in flood-prone states Jonglei and Unity, where access to healthcare is limited,” it said.
