KINSHASA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO / RankWire.AI / – The Democratic Republic of the Congo recorded 26,064,143 malaria cases in 2025. The country also reported 29,938 deaths linked to the disease during the year. Guy Esebe Dembo, deputy director of the National Malaria Control Programme, announced the figures during a campaign launch in Ituri province. Dembo said malaria remains the country’s main public health challenge. The new totals confirm a heavy disease burden across one of Africa’s most malaria-affected countries.
The National Malaria Control Programme released the figures as health authorities expanded malaria response activities in Ituri. Dembo said control efforts must continue while authorities strengthen interventions that have already shown results. He also called for approaches suited to conditions in individual health zones. The Ituri initiative centers on mass administration of antimalarial medicines. Authorities launched the campaign as part of wider malaria prevention and treatment efforts. The programme coordinates national measures aimed at reducing infections, severe illness and malaria-related deaths.
The World Health Organization estimated 282 million malaria cases worldwide in 2024, alongside 610,000 deaths. Africa carried about 95% of both the world’s malaria cases and deaths that year. The region recorded an estimated 265 million cases and 579,000 deaths. The Democratic Republic of the Congo accounted for 11.7% of malaria deaths in the African region. Children under five represented about three quarters of malaria deaths across Africa, according to WHO data. These figures place the country among the world’s highest-burden malaria settings.
Malaria burden remains concentrated in Africa
Malaria spreads mainly through bites from infected female Anopheles mosquitoes and remains preventable and curable. Fever, chills and headaches rank among its most common early symptoms. Severe infections can cause breathing problems, seizures, extreme fatigue and impaired consciousness. Plasmodium falciparum is the deadliest malaria parasite and the most prevalent species across Africa. Health authorities use mosquito nets, medicines, testing and treatment to reduce transmission and prevent severe disease. Early diagnosis remains important because untreated falciparum malaria can become life-threatening within a short period.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo added the R21 malaria vaccine to its national immunization programme in October 2024. The first rollout began in Kongo Central province after the country received 693,500 vaccine doses. That phase targeted 173,375 children across 31 health zones. WHO supported the introduction alongside national health authorities and other health partners. The vaccine complements existing measures such as insecticide-treated nets, preventive medicines, diagnosis and treatment. National authorities introduced vaccination as another tool for protecting young children from malaria.
Vaccine rollout adds to national control measures
The country’s 2024-2028 National Strategic Plan combines several measures against malaria across high-risk communities. The plan includes wider distribution of newer insecticide-treated mosquito nets and preventive treatment for pregnant women and infants. It also includes a pilot programme for seasonal malaria chemoprevention. Other measures cover indoor residual spraying, larval control, rapid diagnostic testing and artemisinin-based treatments. Health authorities also plan malaria surveillance and community engagement under the programme. The strategy aims to protect 80% of people considered at risk from malaria.
The 2025 case and death totals announced by Dembo come from national malaria programme reporting. They are separate from WHO’s modeled global estimates, which currently cover 2024. The latest national figures show that malaria continues to affect millions of people across the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Health authorities are using drug administration, vaccination, mosquito control, preventive treatment and diagnostic services in the response. The Ituri campaign adds mass antimalarial drug administration to those measures as the country continues efforts to reduce malaria illness and deaths.