Urban Mosquito Sparks Malaria Surge In East Africa

Bed nets -- up to now the prime weapon against malaria -- may be much less effective against the urban mosquito (Credit: AFP)

The spread of a mosquito in East Africa that thrives in urban areas and is immune to insecticide is fuelling a surge in malaria that could reverse decades of progress against the disease, experts say.

Africa accounted for about 95 percent of the 249 million malaria cases and 608,000 deaths worldwide in 2022, according to the most recent data from the World Health Organization (WHO), which said children under five accounted for 80 percent of deaths in the region.