Ethiopia is witnessing a concerning rise in malaria cases, with over 6.1 million infections and 1,038 deaths reported through September this year—numbers that surpass the total for all of 2023. This surge has been attributed to climate change, prolonged civil conflict, and increasing resistance to treatments and insecticides among mosquitoes. Health experts warn that cases could escalate further during the malaria season, which spans from September to the year’s end.
Dr. Fitsum Tadesse, a leading malaria specialist at Addis Ababa’s Armauer Hansen Research Institute, has observed that resistant malaria parasites are undermining efforts to treat the disease, a situation further complicated by mosquitoes evolving to resist insecticides used in preventive measures like bed nets and indoor spraying. Additionally, some mosquito populations now evade common diagnostic methods, worsening the fight against the disease.
The Oromia region, where ongoing conflict between the Ethiopian military and Oromo Liberation Army has displaced over 1.5 million people, has seen the most significant increase in malaria cases. Displacement has made access to healthcare difficult and has disrupted malaria control programs, creating conditions that facilitate mosquito breeding and malaria spread in overcrowded temporary shelters. Regions like West Welega, which has high malaria cases, have been largely inaccessible to humanitarian groups due to security issues.
Compounding the crisis is Ethiopia’s warming climate, which has brought malaria to highland areas previously unaffected by the disease. An invasive mosquito species, Anopheles stephensi, commonly found in urban settings, has also taken hold in cities like Dire Dawa. This mosquito thrives in cities and urban areas, presenting challenges to health systems designed to tackle malaria in rural environments.
In Oromia, which once recorded a steep decline in malaria cases from 900,000 in 2011 to just 100,000 in 2019, the numbers have now surged again. Over the past three months, 1.4 million people have been diagnosed with malaria, with thousands of severe cases requiring hospitalization. Health officials have mobilized community health workers to go door-to-door to improve detection, yet this effort has only highlighted the alarming scale of the outbreak.
Ababaye Tilahun, a seasoned health worker in West Welega, emphasized that this year’s malaria rates are the worst she has seen.
