WASHINGTON, United States (CMC) – The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) is urging Caribbean and other countries to strengthen efforts and revitalise strategies to accelerate progress toward malaria elimination in the Region of the Americas.

On World Malaria Day on Friday, PAHO said that although countries in the region have made significant progress in the fight against malaria, the most recent data show a stagnation in the reduction of cases.

In 2023, PAHO said a total of 505,600 malaria cases were reported in the Americas, 92 per cent of which occurred in South America.

Brazil, Venezuela, and Colombia accounted for 80 per cent of all cases, with the latter reporting the highest number of Plasmodium falciparum infections, PAHO said.

In some high-burden areas such as the Amazonian territories in South America and communities in Haiti—it said the affected populations face barriers to access proper diagnosis and treatment.

PAHO said scattered Indigenous communities, the high mobility of populations engaged in extractive activities such as gold mining, and security challenges are among the obstacles to malaria elimination.

Additionally, PAHO said indigenous peoples continue to be disproportionately affected. In 2023, they represented 31 per cent of all malaria cases and 41 per cent of all malaria-related deaths in the region.

“This underscores the urgency to address the structural barriers that prevent access to timely diagnosis and treatment,” PAHO said.

“To address this situation, a transformative change is needed to ensure access to malaria diagnosis and treatment in all areas where transmission occurs, without geographic, cultural, legal, or financial barriers,” added Dr Sylvain Aldighieri, director of the Department of Communicable Disease Prevention, Control, and Elimination at PAHO.

He said community engagement is essential for achieving malaria elimination in the Americas.

Dr Aldighieri said this includes the active involvement of community leaders and trained health workers to carry out rapid diagnostic tests, provide treatment, and maintain consistent service delivery in hard-to-reach areas.

“These efforts require strong political will, multi-level governance, regulatory changes, and the establishment of new partnerships, especially with affected communities,” he said.

Despite ongoing challenges, PAHO said the region has achieved important milestones.

Since 2018, four countries in the Americas have been certified malaria-free: Paraguay, Argentina, El Salvador and Belize.

In 2024, Suriname marked three years without local transmission, and countries such as Costa Rica, Mexico, and Ecuador reported significant progress toward transmission interruption.

Malaria is an acute febrile illness caused by Plasmodium parasites, which are transmitted to humans through the bite of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. Symptoms—including fever, headache, and chills—can be mild. If left untreated, malaria can progress to severe illness and even death.