Malaria’s Devastating Toll: The Hidden Cost of a Silent Killer in Africa

At the Hoima Regional Referral Hospital in western Uganda, Tulinawe Kabaami watches anxiously over her 3-year-old son, who has been battling severe malaria for five days.

Tulinawe describes the harrowing journey from a local health center to the regional hospital, where her son’s condition worsened despite initial treatment.

“He became weak one night, and I gave him medicine, but his condition did not improve. The next day he fell and lost consciousness. I rushed him to the hospital where he was treated, but he had to be transferred here due to his serious condition. », declared the young mother.*

Although the family received mosquito nets from the government, Tulinawe admits they have not been used, citing the recent move as the reason.

The family has already spent about $100 on treatment, but Tulinawe reports little improvement.

She had to sell assets to raise the necessary funds. The cost of treating malaria is a burden, even for the government, which donors asked in March to fund the fight against malaria itself.

Doctor Gilbert Ategeka, a pediatrician at the hospital, notes a worrying trend. It reports that three out of ten children admitted test positive for malaria, with some arriving in a critical condition.

“The children will not go to school because the money must be taken to the hospital to treat the sick. The children will not go to school because they have to get money from the hospital to treat the sick. The government must therefore be present on the ground and must also encourage and help village health teams to do their job, which is to teach people how to use mosquito nets. », Dr. Gilbert Ategeka, a pediatrician at Hoima regional referral hospital, analyzed.

The lack of funding is obvious. Although the international community has invested $3.5 billion in the fight against malaria, it would take more than double to reach the elimination target set for 2030. With African governments already struggling with fragile health systems and limited resources, it could this lack has disastrous consequences.

“If we look at the annual statistics, we lose about $12 billion in terms of development because of absence from work, absence from school, we see if we go to hospitals, a lot of patients are children, but next to them are women. – hard working women who cannot go to work because their children are sick. Malaria has devastating effects on the development of the African continent and that is why we say that we must come together in terms of partnership. said Dr. Michael Adekunle Charles, Managing Director, RBM Partnership.

The economic impact is also significant. Countries hardest hit by malaria face rising health costs and economic pressures, pushing millions of people into poverty.

Meeting the malaria target could increase Africa’s GDP by $127 billion by 2030, according to a recent analysis.

Source: africanews