How Uganda is bringing malaria care closer to every family

Whenever fever strikes nine-year-old Joshua Ekimwere in his rural Ogaramio village, getting help has not always been easy. For his grandmother, Akurut Dinah Loy, a suspected malaria infection often meant difficult choices. Either finding money for transport and medicine, missing a day's work, or waiting anxiously while his condition worsens.

For years, this was the reality for many families in rural Uganda. Community-based malaria services helped protect children under five, but older children and adults often had to travel long distances to a health facility just to find out whether they had malaria and begin treatment.

Today, that is changing.

Through a Ministry of Health-led initiative, Village Health Teams (VHTs) and Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) are being trained and equipped to test people of all ages using rapid diagnostic tests and provide free lifesaving treatment within their communities.

For Akurut Dinah Loy and her family, the difference has been significant.

“It is frightening to watch a child become sick and not know how quickly you can get help. Having services nearby has changed a lot for our family,” she said. “Now, when Joshua gets sick, I no longer think first about the journey to the health facility. I think about getting him help quickly.”

Improving access to timely care

Uganda has made remarkable progress in the fight against malaria. Since 2000, malaria-related deaths have fallen by more than 50%, reflecting sustained investments in prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Yet malaria remains one of the country's most significant public health challenges. In 2025, an estimated 13.2 million malaria cases were reported, meaning roughly one in every 20 malaria cases worldwide occurred in Uganda. WHO estimates that between 16,000 and 20,000 people died from malaria during the same year.

Many challenges affecting the fight against malaria include people reaching health services too late, waiting more than 24 hours after symptoms begin before seeking care and relying on poor-quality medicines or fail to complete treatment. These delays increase the risk of severe illness and place additional pressure on families and the health system.

The expansion of community-based malaria services is helping address these challenges by making diagnosis and treatment available where people live, particularly in areas where access to health facilities remains difficult.

For Dr Cathrine Maiteki Sebuguzi, Deputy Programme Manager at the National Malaria Elimination Department, timely access to care is critical to sustaining Uganda's progress.

“Reaching communities where transmission occurs is the foundation of our efforts towards malaria elimination. Through this initiative, we are ensuring timely diagnosis, prompt treatment and protection of those most at risk,” said Dr Cathrine.

Strengthening primary health care and advancing equity

The initiative does more than improve access to malaria services. It strengthens primary health care by expanding the role of community health workers and ensuring that essential services reach people who might otherwise be left behind.

Today, approximately 85,000 VHT members provide community-based health services across Uganda. Extending malaria diagnosis and treatment to all age groups helps address a larger reservoir of infection while improving equity in access to essential health services.

The expansion of VHTs and CHEWs is part of Uganda's 24-2 Hours Initiative, which aims to ensure malaria diagnosis and treatment within 24 hours of symptom onset and lifesaving pre-referral treatment for severe malaria within two hours. By reaching rural, peri-urban and underserved communities, the initiative is helping accelerate progress towards Universal Health Coverage.

“When health services are available closer to home, people can get help earlier. That is especially important for malaria, where timely diagnosis and treatment can save lives,” said Dr Christine Chiedza Musanhu, Team Lead for Disease Prevention and Control, WHO Uganda. “Community-based care also helps us reach people who might otherwise be left behind.”

The programme is supported through a broad partnership involving the Global Fund, the United States Government and UNICEF.

For Akurut Dinah Loy, the success of this initiative means knowing that when Joshua develops a fever, help is no longer a distant journey away.

“As a grandmother, nothing is more important than seeing my grandchildren healthy. Knowing they can be tested and treated quickly gives our family comfort and hope,” added Loy.

For families across Uganda, timely access to malaria services means fewer delays, less uncertainty and a better chance of receiving treatment when it matters most. And for Uganda, it is another step towards a future where no family's health is determined by how far they live from care.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of WHO Regional Office for Africa.