In the village of Chishakwe in eastern Zimbabwe, Precious Mfundura woke up with a fever and a severe headache that had not left her for three straight days. When I went to the unit,The local health authority discovered that the illness that struck her and her son was not seasonal influenza, but malaria. She took treatment and recovered quickly, but her story reflects a broader crisis worsening across the country.
Data from the Ministry of Health in Zimbabwe revealed an unprecedented jump in infections: more than 65,000 cases between last January and April, compared to 36,000 in the same period last year, and only 17,000 in 2024. As for deaths, they rose from 34 cases in 2024 to 174 this year, which reflects the seriousness of the current wave.
Cut off US funding
This escalation comes after US President Donald Trump’s decision in his second term in 2025 to reduce foreign aid, which led to the cessation of major programs to combat malaria in Zimbabwe, including the “Zapim 2” program to support diagnosis and treatment, and the “Zinto” program to monitor the mosquitoes that transmit the disease. Washington had funded the country’s health and agricultural sector with $270 million in 2024 alone.
Thomas Chucho of Save the Children said initiatives continued partly through the government and other partners, but with “weaker operational capacity and slower implementation.” As for Professor Songano Maharakorwa from the University of Africa, he explained that the sudden stop exacerbated the epidemic, noting that alternative funding from the United Methodist Church “remains far below the level of American support.”
A climate that fuels the epidemic
The financing crisis coincided with severe climate disturbances. The country witnessed the El Niño phenomenon between 2023 and 2024, followed by heavy rains in the seasons of 2025 and 2026, which created an ideal environment for mosquitoes to breed. Experts confirm that the weakness of the prevention system, the decline in the distribution of mosquito nets, and the delay in control work have contributed to amplifying the impact of these conditions.
Virginia Chakanden Akira, a health worker in a rural area, said that diagnostic and treatment tools have become scarce, adding: “I used to get ample quantities, but since 2025 I have had to refer patients to other clinics.” She noted that the stock that arrived last February was “limited and distributed only to the most affected communities.”
It is noteworthy that Zimbabwe announced that it seeks to eliminate malaria by 2030, in line with the goal of the African Union. But health experts warn that if the financing gaps are not addressed quickly, the country risks losing gains accumulated over years in combating the disease, leaving the lives of thousands of residents hostage to political and climate fluctuations.