Written by Miben Rebeccah
Over the past few months, I’ve noticed malaria spreading faster in my community and also re-occurring even after treatment .It’s not just the rainy season causing this but the climate is playing a bigger role. In places like Nigeria, millions of people are getting infected every year. Over 24 million confirmed case in just nine months of 2025 show that malaria isn’t just a health issue , it’s a climate issue.
And it’s not just Nigeria but it’s a global trend, malaria is on the move. In 2023, there was an estimated 263 million new malaria cases globally across 83 endemic countries which caused about 597,000 deaths worldwide.
The weather has been hotter than usual even on days that should be cooler which is as a result of climate change . The world continues to warm rapidly.There are sudden bursts of heavy rain that leave behind puddles and stagnant water.Mosquitoes seem to be out earlier and also in more places than before.
All these are conditions are perfect for mosquitoes to thrive and for malaria to spread.
Climate change is as a result of global warming that has resulted in higher temperatures, unpredictable rainfall,drought amongst other environmental hazards. The heat creates the perfect conditions for mosquitoes to breed quickly and also survive longer which means malaria can show up outside it’s usual season.The sudden rainfall gives mosquitoes plenty of places to multiply like puddles and drainages that doesn’t drain and pothole
The heat,rainfall and humidity are major drivers of diseases. It shows how important it is to pay attention to environmental health. Climate change isn’t happening far away, it’s affecting our daily lives right here.
This outbreak puts extra pressure on families,schools, workplace and healthcare centres. The most vulnerable groups are the elderly, children, pregnant women and people with existing health conditions.
Malaria may be an old disease but it is adapting to a changing climate. The warmer and wetter the environment,the more opportunities malaria has to spread and climate change is creating these conditions more frequently. We need to protect our planet and also our health. Apart from the use of mosquito nets and sprays,we need to keep our surroundings clean and limit emissions of greenhouse gases.
Let’s stay alert, prepared and proactive in order to reduce the outbreak and impact of malaria in our daily lives.