The African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN) has called for renewed investment in science, community education and accurate health communication to sustain gains made against malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases.
In a statement issued to mark World Mosquito Day 2026, the network said the fight against mosquito-borne diseases was far from over, even though science had transformed the world’s ability to prevent and control illnesses such as malaria.
Citing the World Health Organisation (WHO), AMMREN said the African region accounted for 94% of global malaria cases and 95% of malaria deaths in 2024, with children under five remaining among the worst affected.
It added that mosquitoes also spread other diseases, including dengue, yellow fever and chikungunya, making their control central to protecting public health on the continent.
The network said several factors continued to threaten progress.
“Insecticide resistance, changing environmental and climatic conditions and the spread of invasive mosquito species are creating new concerns for disease-control programmes. At the same time, new tools, including malaria vaccines and improved vector-control interventions, are changing what is possible in the fight against malaria.”
AMMREN stressed that mosquito-borne diseases could not be treated as a problem of the past. It said Africa needed to strengthen prevention, embrace scientific advances and ensure accurate, accessible information reached every community, adding that knowledge had to translate into action, and action into lives protected.
Read the full statement below
