Online Reporter
Trust Freddy-Zimpapers Correspondent
THE Government has launched a nationwide research to establish factors driving the recent sharp increase in malaria cases in some parts of the country, as health authorities grapple with a near four-fold increase in infections and a five-fold rise in deaths compared to the same period last year.
The investigations come as the country has recorded more than 65 000 malaria cases and 174 deaths by mid-April 2026, raising concerns that gains made towards malaria elimination could be reversed if the underlying causes are not urgently identified and addressed.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora said the upsurge was not unique to Zimbabwe but was being experienced across the region, including in districts that had previously been on course to eliminate the disease.
“The outbreaks of malaria are not peculiar to Zimbabwe alone; even in the region, there is an upsurge of malaria,” said Dr Mombeshora.
“Even in districts where we thought we were eliminating malaria, we are seeing cases increasing.”
The Government, he said, was conducting further research to determine whether the resurgence was linked to premature relaxation of elimination strategies, insecticide resistance or other emerging factors.
“We are not yet very sure, because we need to do more research and find out exactly why. There are various issues that we are looking at: Is it because we had relaxed and some of our elimination strategies were stopped early where we thought we had really eliminated before eliminating the vector? We have to look at that,” he said.
“We are also looking at resistance, to say are we getting resistance to the chemicals that we are using for vector control?”
Official data shows that Zimbabwe recorded more than 65 000 malaria cases and 174 deaths by mid-April this year, compared to approximately 17 000 cases and 34 deaths during the same period in 2025.
In response to the outbreak, the Government has intensified surveillance, expanded the distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets and increased indoor residual spraying programmes in affected communities.
“But what we have done in response is really to increase our surveillance, our distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets and also the inside spray in the houses, so we are increasing our efforts to control the malaria outbreak,” said Dr Mombeshora.
The authorities have also stepped up awareness campaigns through village health workers, traditional leaders and community structures to encourage the proper use of prevention measures.
“We are also conducting awareness campaigns in villages through our village health workers, also through the communities and community leaders like the chiefs, traditional leaders, so that people are more aware and we also want to insist on the proper use of our nets and proper use of our prevention materials,” he said.
Bongani Ndlovu