World malaria day is celebrated every 25th of April and the theme for this year’s celebration is “Harness innovation to reduce the malaria disease burden and save lives.” This year the World Health Organisation is advocating for investment and innovation in controlling malaria across the world.
According to the global malaria report, over 96% of malaria deaths and 55% malaria cases are from West African countries. Six countries in west Africa top the list and they account for 55% of malaria cases and have over half of the death malaria cases. Nigeria sits at the very top of this list and currently accounts for 36.7% of total malaria cases in the world.
Nigeria has the highest number of malaria cases globally and had the highest number of deaths due to malaria in 2019. Malaria in Nigeria’s rural population is 2.4 times more prevalent than in Nigeria’s Urban population.