Opinion: How to take a gendered approach to the fight against malaria

Growing up, I did not consider malaria a serious threat. To me, my friends, and family, malaria is simply an inconvenient illness that people get, not unlike the flu. I have had malaria several times, the last time merely a few months ago. But while malaria is treatable and preventable, it kills more than 400,000 people every year and —  tragically — in 2016, it was the fifth leading cause of death for 10- to 14-year-old girls.

No matter your age, gender, or ethnicity, diseases such as malaria do not discriminate. The humble mosquito infects millions of men and women each year. But while we’re all at equal risk of getting a mosquito bite, the health, societal, and economic burdens of malaria are much more likely to fall on women and adolescent girls.

Consider the health burden. After surviving malaria past the age of 5, when children are most at risk, the first pregnancy is a particularly dangerous time for contracting malaria, due to weakened immunity.

In 2019, 1 in 4 young women in sub-Saharan Africa gave birth before they turned 18. For pregnant women, malaria infection can lead to severe disease and death, and when placental infection occurs, children are far more likely to be born with anemia — putting them at greater developmental risk.

Malaria interventions and care including a full course of intermittent preventive treatment during pregnancy and infancy, and access to insecticide-treated nets are essential to preventing these statistics. However, factors such as the stigma of being found out to be pregnant or lack of agency to seek antenatal care stand in the way for these young women to reap their lifesaving benefits.

There is an indirect societal and economic impact too. Adolescent girls contribute to the informal care economy, often being tasked as caretakers of family members with malaria. Sadly, caring for children and family members who suffer from malaria multiple times each year can keep a young woman from pursuing her education or a career.

I was fortunate enough to pursue my education and launch my career, but for many young girls, malaria rips these opportunities from them. School absenteeism is a major step backward for gender equality, and it devastatingly puts young girls at greater risk of early marriage, childbearing, and sexual exploitation — having a much greater impact on their futures.

While malaria may be gender blind, our approach to tackling it shouldn’t be. By tailoring malaria information, messages, and programs to the needs of adolescent girls, we can equip these young women with the information they need to protect themselves and, when they become mothers, their future families and communities.

The lack of data to understand the barriers to treatment for these vulnerable girls also poses a challenge to addressing the disease. Disaggregating data by gender and age can offer critical information for health ministries and partners to identify and address gaps in care. The need for data also extends beyond one group; it would be vital for better understanding health care access at any age.  

In a world where women bear malaria’s brunt, an obvious solution is to empower adolescent girls and women in decision-making roles to improve the response to this preventable and treatable disease. We must seek out and listen to their voices and experiences and engage them in developing and delivering solutions to address the disease.

When I was a student, I learned the potential that every one of us has to make a real impact. At the time, I was raising money for a community malaria program that was unable to receive grants. Progress was slow, and I started by raising only small amounts, but in the end, we were successful in achieving our goal. Knowing I could make a difference and benefit my community has inspired me. Since then I have dedicated my youth to being an advocate for positive social change.

That’s why I wasn’t surprised to read that 9 in 10 African youth want to take personal action in the fight against malaria — whether it’s volunteering their time to distribute mosquito nets, or simply sharing information about malaria prevention on social media to educate their peers. I am proud to contribute my voice, by speaking up for the change we need to achieve a malaria-free future.

Adolescent girls are central to our fight against malaria. With quality information and decision-making agency, and when valued as caregivers, they can drive improved maternal and child health, reduce malaria’s impact, and lift families out of poverty.

By investing more in adolescent girls and women at the heart of the malaria fight, we can achieve a double dividend: accelerating malaria elimination and advancing gender equality. While this will require new investment and strategies, the outcome will be lifesaving and as they say: the harder the battle, the greater the victory.