Malaria Crisis Deepens In Africa Amid Sharp US Aid Cuts

 

In the conflict-ridden city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), 36-year-old Mwayuma Idi Feza faces an impossible choice: seek treatment for malaria or try to feed her child. Both she and her one-year-old son are showing symptoms of the disease, but with no job and rising medical costs, help is out of reach.

Malaria, though preventable and curable, remains one of the world’s deadliest diseases. In the DRC—home to the second-highest malaria burden globally after Nigeria—over 24,000 people died from it in 2022, more than half of them children under five, according to the World Health Organization.

Now, this longstanding health crisis is growing worse. A recent wave of funding cuts to US-backed malaria programs has hit the region hard. The US Agency for International Development (USAID), which funded critical prevention and treatment efforts, has seen malaria program budgets slashed by an estimated 36%. The scale of the reduction remains murky, but the consequences are already being felt.

“The PNLP [National Malaria Control Program] is already feeling the effects,” said Michel Itabu, a former spokesperson for the Congolese malaria program. “Preventive treatment for pregnant women is already being disrupted.” For mothers like Idi Feza and their children, this can mean the difference between life and death.

The impact of these cuts goes far beyond the DRC. USAID’s President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), launched in 2005, once helped cut malaria deaths by more than 60% in some of the hardest-hit regions. But most of PMI’s staff have now been laid off or are unable to work due to "stop-work" orders following changes under the Trump administration, which proposed a 47% funding cut to the initiative.

Former aid workers stress the immediate danger these disruptions pose. “People will die in the short term,” said one former PMI team member. Long-term, the worry is even more severe: a reversal of two decades of progress and the collapse of global surveillance systems used to detect and manage outbreaks.

Malaria isn’t the only concern. Experts warn that these cuts also weaken defenses against other deadly diseases like Ebola, pandemic flu, and Marburg virus. “These diseases often start with a fever, and it’s malaria detection programs that help us respond before they become outbreaks,” explained Spencer Knoll of Malaria No More in testimony before Congress.

For many African countries, US aid isn’t just about immediate health interventions—it’s also about trust and stability. “Everything that came from USAID was branded as 'from the American people,’” said Annē Linn, a former PMI contractor who lost her job in January. “Now, everything stops—and that tears down trust within the health systems.”

Malawi is already feeling the strain. After severe floods and cyclones increased malaria cases this year, the country is struggling to close the gaps left by a sharp drop in US funding. “We are in a difficult situation,” said Lumbani Munthali, Malawi’s National Malaria Control Manager. “We may not be able to close them completely.” In 2023, Malawi received $24 million in malaria aid. This year’s total remains unclear.

The timing could not be worse. “Malaria is seasonal,” said Nathaniel Moller, a former PMI adviser. “You miss that window and the disease spreads rapidly.” The rainy season, already underway in much of Africa, is expected to drive a surge in cases.

Meanwhile, overlapping aid cuts in malnutrition programs are making matters worse. Malnourished children are especially vulnerable to diseases like malaria, measles, and cholera. In Nigeria, where MSF (Doctors Without Borders) operates, emergency coordinator Nicolas Mouly warns that “we won’t have the capacity to treat all of them” as patient loads increase.

Nigeria’s health minister, Muhammad Ali Pate, acknowledged the strain. But he emphasized the country’s shift toward self-reliance, with $200 million in domestic funding now committed to health services. “It’s our responsibility to care for Nigerians,” he said. “Not the US government’s.”

Still, global health experts warn that cutting aid doesn’t just affect African nations—it affects the world. As infectious disease outbreaks become more likely in fragile health systems, global security is also at stake. “We’ve not seen anything like this in terms of disruption to global aid,” said Mouly. “It’s very difficult.”

In places like Goma, the stakes are painfully real. As aid dries up and clinics struggle, mothers like Idi Feza are left with little more than hope—and that may not be enough.