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During the COVID-19 pandemic, the malaria community must remain committed to supporting the prevention of malaria infection, illness and death through preventive and case management services, while maintaining a safe environment for patients, clients and staff. Deaths due to malaria and its comorbidities (anaemia, undernutrition, etc.) must continue to be prevented.

This document provides overarching principles as well as specific technical guidance for malaria interventions, including prevention of infection and disease, care and treatment of cases, testing, clinical services, supply chain and laboratory activities, during this time of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. This document will be updated as the situation changes.

After many years of great progress in our fight against malaria, our trajectory is plateauing and the world will not achieve the 2020 malaria targets for morbidity and mortality reduction. With over 400 000 deaths and in excess of 200 million malaria cases each year, we must urgently evolve our approach if we are to realize the full potential of current tools and the available resources and get back on track.

The country-led “High burden high impact” (HBHI) response, launched in 2018 by WHO and the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, aims to reignite the pace of progress in the global malaria fight and is guided by four key elements.

Safety of front-line health workers a primary concern

The COVID-19 pandemic is testing the resilience of robust health systems around the world. Recognizing the heavy toll that malaria exacts on vulnerable populations in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the region’s fragile health infrastructure, WHO underlines the critical importance of sustaining efforts to prevent, detect and treat malaria.