WHO approves first malaria treatment for newborns
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has prequalified the first malaria treatment specifically developed for newborns and young infants weighing between two and five kilogrammes. The announcement was made ahead of World Malaria Day commemorated on 25 April. According to WHO, the newly prequalified treatment, artemether/lumefantrine, is the first antimalarial formulation designed specifically for young malaria […] The post WHO approves first malaria treatment for newborns appeared first on The Namibian.
Black News 
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has prequalified the first malaria treatment specifically developed for newborns and young infants weighing between two and five kilogrammes.
The announcement was made ahead of World Malaria Day commemorated on 25 April.
According to WHO, the newly prequalified treatment, artemether/lumefantrine, is the first antimalarial formulation designed specifically for young malaria patients.
The organisation said infants with malaria have until now been treated with medicines intended for older children, increasing the risk of dosing errors, side effects and toxicity.
WHO said the prequalification means the medicine meets international standards of quality, safety and efficacy and will help expand access to quality-assured treatment.
The treatment is expected to help close what the organisation described as a long-standing treatment gap affecting about 30 million babies born annually in malaria-endemic parts of Africa.
“For centuries, malaria has stolen children from their parents, and health, wealth and hope from communities,” WHO director general Tedros Ghebreyesus says.
“But today, the story is changing. New vaccines, diagnostic tests, next-generation mosquito nets and effective medicines, including those adapted for the youngest, are helping to turn the tide,” he adds.
Ghebreyesus says ending malaria within this generation is now possible, but would require sustained political and financial commitment.
WHO also announced the prequalification of three new rapid diagnostic tests on 14 April to address emerging diagnostic challenges linked to malaria detection.
According to the organisation, commonly used rapid diagnostic tests for the Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite detect a protein known as histidine-rich protein 2 (HRP2).
However, studies and surveys conducted in 46 countries found that some malaria parasite strains have lost the gene responsible for producing the protein, making them undetectable to HRP2-based tests and resulting in false-negative diagnoses.
WHO said in countries in the Horn of Africa up to 80% of malaria cases were missed because of this, leading to delayed treatment, severe illness and deaths.
The newly prequalified tests target a different parasite protein known as pf-LDH, which the malaria parasite cannot easily shed.
WHO now recommends countries switch to the alternative rapid diagnostic tests when more than 5% of malaria cases are missed due to pf-HRP2 deletions.
The announcements coincide with the launch of the 2026 World Malaria Day campaign, themed ‘Driven to End Malaria: Now We Can. Now We Must’.
According to the World Malaria Report 2025, there were an estimated 282 million malaria cases and 610 000 deaths globally in 2024, an increase from 2023 figures.
The report states that while 47 countries have been certified malaria-free and 37 countries recorded fewer than 1 000 cases in 2024, global progress has slowed.
WHO attributed the slowdown to challenges such as drug resistance, insecticide resistance, diagnostic failures and cuts in international development assistance.
Despite this, the organisation said an estimated 2.3 billion malaria infections and 14 million deaths have been prevented worldwide since 2000.
WHO said 25 countries are currently rolling out malaria vaccines to millions of children, while next-generation mosquito nets account for 84% of all newly distributed nets globally.
The post WHO approves first malaria treatment for newborns appeared first on The Namibian.
