WHO welcomes the news today from Sudan that it has adopted the “High burden to high impact” (HBHI) approach to accelerate progress against malaria. Through HBHI, countries hardest hit by malaria are reaching populations at greatest risk of malaria with tailored packages of interventions informed by local data and disease settings.

According to WHO’s latest World malaria report, Sudan carried the heaviest burden of malaria in the Eastern Mediterranean Region in 2020, accounting for more than half of all cases (56%) and deaths (61%). Between 2015 and 2020, the country registered an increase of more than 40% in its malaria case incidence. The Ministry of Health attributes the rise in cases to changes in rainfall patterns, frequent flooding, population movement, and the emergence of an invasive malaria vector, Anopheles stephensi, among other factors.

“The HBHI approach relies on strong political commitment to prioritizing the malaria fight,” said Dr Ni’ma Saeed Abid, WHO Representative for Sudan. “On behalf of WHO, I would like to congratulate Sudan’s Federal Ministry of Health for its leadership in adopting this approach.”