The Countries with the Highest Malaria Risk

Malaria is a significant public health challenges that affects many parts of the world. Despite global efforts to combat this life-threatening disease, it continues to claim hundreds of thousands of lives each year, with millions more suffering severe illnesses from the disease.

In this blog, we explore the countries where malaria is most prevalent, what contributes to its spread, and how you can protect yourself if you’re travelling abroad or moving to a country with a high risk.

According to the World Health Organisation’s latest report, in 2022 there were around 249 million cases of malaria and 608,000 deaths across 85 countries, concentrated in tropical and sub-tropical regions.

Africa has a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden, with the region having 94% of malaria the total malaria cases and 95% of malaria deaths. We can see that almost half of all the malaria cases worldwide were accounted for in just four countries, all in Africa – Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Mozambique.

Inadequate funding, and limited access to healthcare and prevention methods in these areas contribute to the high number of cases. Combined with extreme weather events such as flooding and heatwaves create an environment where malaria transmission increases, further exacerbating the issue.

Using the latest data available from the WHO, below is the distribution of malaria cases worldwide, by country.

Malaria is caused by the Plasmodium parasite and spread through mosquito bites. If a mosquito bites a person infected with the parasite, it will itself become infected. When that mosquito bites another human, the parasite spreads to them.

The parasite travels to the liver through the bloodstream, where it develops for days to weeks and then reenters the blood. It is at this point of reentry when the person will begin to develop malaria symptoms.

There are five different types of Plasmodium parasites that can cause malaria in humans. These can be found in different countries, but some will overlap with multiple types in one area. The different types of parasites will cause different levels of severity of malaria. All types of malaria will require urgent medical attention, as the infection can be fatal.

People who are infected with malaria will feel very unwell, with a high fever. Malaria symptoms include:

Typically, symptoms of malaria will occur around 7-18 days after the person has been bitten. However, sometimes they can take months to develop.

Malaria is not contagious. It can’t be spread in the same way as a cold and flu, i.e. by sitting close to another person or by physical contact.

Malaria is spread through mosquito bites when the parasite is passed to the bloodstream. In extremely rare cases it can be spread through transfusions of infected blood, sharing needles contaminated with infected blood, organ transplant, or from a pregnant person to the unborn infant.

If you’ll be travelling to an area with a malaria risk, you should speak to your GP or a travel clinic around 4-6 weeks before you travel. They may prescribe antimalarial tablets which can reduce your risk of getting malaria. They will also be able to advise on how best to avoid getting bitten whilst you are in the country.

Mosquitos will be most active at night time, between dusk and dawn. So, you should be most vigilant during this time. As well as taking any prescribed medication, to help reduce the risk of being bitten by an infected mosquito you should:

Malaria is a serious illness that will need to be treated quickly. If you have travelled to a country where malaria is found and you think you have malaria symptoms, you should get medical treatment as soon as possible.

If left untreated, malaria can develop into more serious complications, such as severe anaemia and in some rare cases, cerebral malaria which can cause permanent brain damage. Malaria can also lead to other complications such as liver failure, hypoglycaemia, kidney failure, and more. Complications can develop within the first days or even hours after symptoms occur, which is why its vital to seek medical help quickly.

However, malaria can be treated with antimalarial medicines which will kill the parasite and stop the symptoms and any complications from developing. Depending on the type of parasite the patient has and the severity of the symptoms, some people may need different types of drugs and also to stay in hospital during their treatment. In some cases, malaria can return, and further treatment will be required.

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