News24 | Mpumalanga malaria cases fall after flood-driven spike

Malaria cases in Mpumalalnga are on the decline following a sharp increase after the recent floods.

• The January 2026 floods in Mpumalanga caused a sharp rise in reported malaria cases.
• The situation now appears to be stablising.
• While there were 332 cases in January, there were just 24 between 1 and 8 February.

The number of reported malaria cases in Mpumalanga appears to be on the decline again, after the province saw a spike in the wake of the recent floods.

The Mpumalanga Department of Health reported 332 confirmed cases last month – almost five times more than the number reported in January last year.

“The last two weeks, the number of new daily confirmed malaria cases has been showing a downward trend,” Mpumalanga Health Department spokesperson Dumisani Malamule told News24 this week.

Between 1 February and 8 February, only 24 cases were reported.

This amounts to an average of three per day.

Although the number of reported cases was on a downward trend, the department was “still closely monitoring the situation and applying interventions”, Malamule said.

READ | Recent flooding has serious health risks, researchers warn

News24 previously reported that the recent flooding in Mpumalanga – as well as in Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal – brought with it both immediate and longer-term public health threats, especially for already vulnerable communities.

According to the department, it created the perfect conditions for Anopheles mosquitoes – which transmit human malaria – to thrive, with the insects thriving in and around stagnant water.

“Without rapid, coordinated responses, we risk reversing the gains made towards malaria elimination in the southern African region,” said Professor Tiaan de Jager, director of the University of Pretoria Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control (UP ISMC).

“Malaria is a regional challenge that demands regional solutions,“ De Jager added.

According to Dr Taneshka Kruger, the UP ISMC project manager, malaria awareness was important both during and after emergencies. She said people needed to understand the risks and how to protect themselves.

Kruger said:

The department, meanwhile, said it was planning to get the ball rolling on a malaria awareness campaign soon.

While there are malaria vaccines available, Malamule said this was not on the cards at the moment.

“Malaria vaccination is not yet a part of the strategies in the country, so vaccination is not used,” he said.