WHO Calls on Partners to Eliminate Malaria in Pakistan

The World Health Organisation has called on development partners and international stakeholders to redouble efforts aimed at eliminating malaria in Pakistan, where the disease continues to impose a significant public health burden particularly in rural and flood-affected communities. The appeal comes ahead of World Malaria Day and is part of a broader global WHO campaign targeting endemic countries.

Pakistan remains among the highest malaria-burden countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region, with Balochistan, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recording the largest caseloads annually. The aftermath of the 2022 super floods created conditions highly conducive to mosquito breeding, and health officials have been warning of sustained elevated transmission rates in affected districts.

WHO's intervention underlines that domestic government resources alone are insufficient to close the malaria elimination gap. The organisation is urging international donors, pharmaceutical partners, and bilateral health agencies to sustain funding for insecticide-treated nets, indoor residual spraying programmes, and diagnostic and treatment capacity.

Pakistan's Ministry of National Health Services has aligned with WHO's global target of a 90 percent reduction in malaria cases and deaths by 2030, but programme implementers warn that progress is contingent on uninterrupted external financing and logistical access in conflict-affected border areas.