World Malaria Day 2026 comes at a critical moment. Under the theme “Driven to End Malaria: Now We Can. Now We Must”, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for urgent action to halt rising risks and get malaria elimination efforts in the Eastern Mediterranean Region back on track.

Malaria is surging across parts of the Eastern Mediterranean. There were an estimated 11.1 million cases and 22 100 deaths in 2024, more than a third of them children under 5.

The Region is significantly off track to meet Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030 targets. Malaria incidence is 7 times higher than the 2025 milestone, and mortality rates more than seven times above target. Behind these figures are overstretched health systems, disrupted services and communities increasingly exposed to risk.

Hampered by funding shortfalls, progress is uneven, fragile and at risk of reversal. In 2024, global malaria financing reached just US$ 3.9 billion, less than half the sum required. The consequences are potentially devastating. When programmes weaken, malaria resurges, reversing years of progress and costing li