Experts see climate change fueling rise in malaria cases

Climate change, including rising temperatures, has left Africa facing a rise in malaria cases and other mosquito-borne infections such as dengue fever, and this is placing immense pressure on public health systems, according to health experts.

Dorothy Memusi, an academic researcher who has previously served as deputy director of the malaria division in Kenya's Ministry of Health, said climate change is worsening disease patterns, and diseases are emerging in areas where they did not exist before.

She cited study results showing that Kenya's highland regions, such as parts of the Rift Valley that previously had a low prevalence of malaria, are currently recording rising cases of the disease, and these are linked to subtle changes in the region's climate.