Snapshot of 2021

24 December 2021 by Sarah Bond

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The past year has dealt us a paradoxical mix of highs and lows. After decades of research and investment, the world rejoiced at the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendation that the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine should be provided to children living in sub-Saharan Africa to reduce malaria disease and burden. There were also wins in progress towards malaria elimination with news that, despite disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both China and El Salvador were added to the list of countries to have achieved malaria elimination status.

But it has also been a year of many challenges. We have been faced with some stark numbers – new evidence shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has left an even more devastating footprint than originally predicted. Beyond the numbers claimed by the virus directly, new data suggests that for every COVID-19 death, more than two women or children have died as a result of disruptions to health systems.

Thanks to tireless and outstanding efforts from the global health community, some of the worst-case impact estimates of the pandemic have been averted – such as the projected doubling of deaths from malaria. However, COVID-19 has still significantly exacerbated existing health inequities, diverted critical resources, put vulnerable people further at risk and, according to research from WHO and the World Bank, is likely to halt two decades of global progress towards Universal Health Coverage.

And there are worrying existing and emerging threats beyond COVID-19. Leading scientists and health officials warned at COP26 earlier this year that accelerating climate change threatens unimaginable health consequences. Concern is also growing around a rapidly increasing rise in arboviruses across more than 130 countries, including ones previously unaffected. An estimated 100-400 million people are infected by dengue alone each year, bringing suffering to mostly young children. Both serve to highlight that we are engaged in a battle in constant flux, influenced by environmental factors, such as climate, human behaviour, and historic interventions. All of which have a knock-on effect on the vectors of these diseases – mosquitoes – that evolve and adapt to counter our efforts.

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