Climate change and malaria control: a call to urgent action from Africa’s frontlines

Abstract In December 2024, L’Initiative-Expertise France organized a workshop in Musanze, Rwanda, for National Malaria Control and Elimination Programmes (NMC/EPs) representatives from 19 sub-Saharan African countries. The workshop focused on surveillance, modeling, climate forecasting, and innovative control methods to mitigate climate change impacts on malaria. Participants shared challenges, experiences and best practices. Key challenges highlighted include shifts in malaria transmission seasons, disease spread to mid-altitude regions, and infrastructure damage from extreme weather. Additional factors, such as drug and insecticide resistance, the spread of Anopheles stephensi, and changes in vector behaviour, are exacerbating malaria transmission in African cities. Participants stressed the need for collaborative efforts to tackle these evolving threats. This comment reflects the expertise and insights of 19 NMCPs actively managing malaria control and aims at raising awareness, inform policy discussions, and strengthen global partnerships to address the intersection of malaria and climate change.