Author: Chia-Yu Chen, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Wits Research Institute for Malaria, University of the Witwatersrand

The months of September to May are an unfortunate season in South Africa: malaria season. The mosquito-borne disease is found in the north-eastern districts of KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces. There are fewer malaria cases in South Africa compared to other African countries. The World Health Organization estimated there were over 10 million cases of malaria in Mozambique in 2022. South Africa, that country’s neighbour, recorded 5,183 malaria cases between September 2022 and August 2023. Its relatively low case numbers may be a result of South African health authorities’ excellent work in controlling the disease (control efforts began more than…