The theme for World Malaria Day this year is “ Malaria ends with us: reinvest, reimagine, reignite”. This theme aims to re-energize efforts at all levels, from global policy to community action, to accelerate progress towards malaria elimination.
Malaria continues to be a major health challenge in Uganda, putting the entire population of Uganda at risk. Pregnant women and children under five are especially vulnerable. The disease hits hardest in the northern regions like Acholi, Karamoja, Lango, and West Nile, eastern Uganda, like Mbale.
According to the World Health Organization’s 2024 World Malaria Report, Uganda accounts for 4.8% of global malaria cases, ranking third worldwide after Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Within East and Southern Africa, Uganda carried the biggest share with 23% of all malaria cases in the region.
As of 2025, Uganda is still heavily focused on using insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), especially long-lasting ones (LLINs), to fight malaria. The country’s done a good job getting these nets into people’s homes—after a big campaign in 2020–2021, about 96% of households had at least one net. But only around 64% had enough nets to fully protect everyone in the home, which is below the target.
To help speed up progress toward global malaria goals, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the RBM Partnership launched the High Burden to High Impact initiative in 11 priority countries, including Uganda. In line with this, Uganda developed the Malaria Reduction and Elimination Strategic Plan (2021–2026), which sets ambitious targets: a 50% drop in malaria infections and illness, and a 75% reduction in malaria-related deaths by the year 2025.
Additionally, in response to this public health challenge, Uganda has initiated several interventions. Notably, in March 2025, the government approved the distribution of over 2.2 million doses of malaria vaccines across 105 districts. The vaccination campaign, targeting children under two years of age, commenced in early April 2025. Additionally, the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) Evolve Uganda has implemented indoor residual spraying in over 750,000 structures, aiming to protect approximately 2.7 million people from malaria.
World Malaria Day serves as a reminder of the ongoing global fight against malaria and emphasises the importance of prevention, treatment, and education about this deadly disease.
