Climate Change Cited For Worldwide Uptick In Malaria Cases

The New York Times (11/30, Nolen) reports, “There were an estimated 249 million cases of malaria around the globe last year, the World Health Organization said on Thursday, significantly more than before the Covid-19 pandemic and an increase of five million over 2021.” According to the organization, “those new cases were concentrated in just five countries: Pakistan, Nigeria, Uganda, Ethiopia and Papua-New Guinea.” A WHO official noted that “climate change was a direct contributor in three of them.” Reuters (11/30, Jain, Rigby) reports that progress towards the WHO’s target of 26.2 cases per 1,000 people who are deemed to be at risk by 2025 “is 55% off track ... and will be missed by 89% this year if the trajectory persists.”