Health and social services minister Esperance Luvindao says 95 729 cumulative malaria cases and 154 deaths were recorded countrywide since the beginning of the year.
The Zambezi region has recorded the highest number of malaria cases, with 25 065 of the total number.
Luvindao revealed this in a speech read on her behalf by health ministry executive director Penda Ithindi at the belated commemoration of Malaria Day at Sibbinda constituency in the Zambezi region on Friday.
The Malaria Day theme was ‘Malaria Ends With Us: Reinvest, Reimagine, Reignite’.
The minister said the Kavango West region is second with 18 424 cases, followed by the Andara and Outapi districts with 12 964 and 7 963 cases, respectively.
She added that the 95 729 malaria cases reported nationally are six times higher than the 16 113 cases recorded in 2024.
“The Zambezi region was most severely affected by the malaria outbreak during the peak season. Tragically, malaria-related deaths have also surged this year, rising from 50 in 2024 to 154 in 2025, with a case fatality rate of 0.16,” she said.
She added that there is an urgent need for a strengthened and coordinated response to combat the malaria outbreak.
“Notably, these numbers signal the need to intensify our efforts. We must act swiftly and collectively to reverse this trend and protect the progress we have worked so hard to achieve in our fight against malaria over the years,” she said.
According to Luvindao, for the past three months there has been a sharp decline in malaria cases, with no deaths due to malaria recorded during the same period.
Zambezi governor Dorothy Kabula appealed to residents to allow their homes to be sprayed by indoor residual spraying (IRS) officials to protect themselves against malaria.
She highlighted that during the last IRS campaign the region achieved only 66% coverage, which is short of the 88% minimum standard required by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
“This low coverage was mainly due to the high refusal rates and houses being locked during spraying visits. These challenges significantly contributed to the malaria outbreak experienced in the region,” she said.
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