April 25 marks World Malaria Day.

The World Health Organization said that Afghanistan ranks fifth with the most number of people affected with the disease.

Although Nayebullah Safi, the WHO representative in Afghanistan, said that the number of deaths from malaria in Afghanistan has reached zero; more than 180,000 positive malaria cases have been registered in 2023 in the country, showing an increase of 109 percent compared to 2021.

"In 2023 in Afghanistan, more than 180,000 malaria cases have been registered, which is 30 percent more than in 2022 and 109 percent more than in 2021,” said Safi.

Meanwhile, Abdul Wali Haqqani, Deputy Minister of Public Health, said that over 91 percent of malaria cases are registered in the eastern zone of the country.

"91.2 percent of the positive cases are registered in the eastern provinces such as Nangarhar, Kunar, Laghman, Nuristan, Paktika, and Khost,” said Abdul Wali Haqqani, the deputy minister of public health.

In the meantime, the United Nations Development Program announced that funds have been allocated by the Global Fund to fight malaria in Afghanistan until 2026.

Ahmad Wali Sediqi, representative of the UNDP in Afghanistan, said that nearly five million dollars in additional funding has also been allocated for containing and combating diseases such as AIDS and tuberculosis in Afghanistan.

"For three years, from 2024 to the end of 2026, we have secured funding from the Global Fund for malaria control,” he said.

Based on statistics from the Ministry of Public Health, 4,900 hospitals and health centers are active to treat and prevent malaria across the country.