Aid Cuts and Climate Change Fuel Deadly Malaria Surge in Zimbabwe
Al Jazeera
Malaria cases in Zimbabwe have surged to 65,399 in the first four months of 2026, double the number from the same period last year, amid U.S. aid cuts and climate-driven weather extremes. Deaths have also increased sharply, reaching 174 compared to 85 in 2025. Experts warn that the funding shortfall threatens the country's goal of eliminating malaria by 2030.
A severe malaria outbreak is underway in Zimbabwe, with cases and deaths surging as critical prevention programs stall due to U.S. foreign aid cuts compounded by climate change impacts.
Zimbabwe's National Malaria Control Program weekly surveillance report shows that from January to April 2026, the country recorded 65,399 malaria cases, sharply up from 36,000 cases in the same period of 2025 and 17,000 in 2024. Deaths rose from 85 (same period 2025) and 34 (2024) to 174 in the first four months of 2026.
The direct cause cited is U.S. President Donald Trump's budget cuts to development assistance and programs run by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). In 2024, USAID disbursed $270 million for health and agriculture programs in Zimbabwe. The cuts have disrupted research, prevention, and treatment activities for tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and especially malaria.
Two heavily affected programs are the Zimbabwe Entomological Support for Malaria (ZENTO) at Africa University, which provides scientific research for the National Malaria Control Program, and the Zimbabwe Malaria Assistance Program Phase II (ZAPIM II), which boosted diagnosis, treatment, and prevention in high-burden districts.
The fallout includes severe shortages of medical supplies. Virginia Chakandinakira, a village health worker in Chishakwe, said: “Previously I received many test kits and malaria drugs. But in 2025, they didn't supply me. I had to refer all suspected cases to Chitakatira clinic.” She only received a few kits and drugs in February 2026, but quantities were limited and only distributed to “hotspot” communities.
Many residents, like Caroline Mawombedzi in rural Burma Valley, said they cannot afford insecticide-treated nets due to unemployment and have slept without nets for years.
Beyond aid factors, experts stress that climate change is driving malaria's spread. Zimbabwe experienced the 2023-2024 El Niño, followed by unusually heavy rains in 2025-2026, creating ideal mosquito breeding conditions. Thomas Chuchu, health program lead for Save the Children Zimbabwe, noted: “Heavy rains create favorable breeding environments for mosquitoes, especially in endemic provinces like Mashonaland Central, Manicaland, Mashonaland East, and Mashonaland West. The impact of heavy rains can be amplified by weakened prevention systems, including reduced net coverage, delayed vector control operations, and diminished community surveillance.”
Professor Sungano Mharakurwa, Director of the Africa University Malaria Institute, said that while the institute secured new funding from the World Council of the United Methodist Church, the amount is “far too little” compared to previous U.S. aid. The loss of the U.S. President's Malaria Initiative (PMI) has left many communities without their primary medicine funding source.
Itai Rusike, Director of the Community Working Group on Health Zimbabwe, urged the government to boost domestic health financing: “It is risky for a country to depend significantly on external partners, because donors can withdraw financial support anytime if their interests change.”
Zimbabwe aims to eliminate malaria by 2030. However, health experts warn that unless the funding gap is addressed promptly, the country risks losing years of hard-won progress.
