According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were an estimated 282 million cases of malaria with 610,000 deaths in 80 countries worldwide in 2024. Malaria remains a life-threatening disease affecting mostly countries with tropical climates. Among low- and middle-income countries, nearly half of households spend more than 40% on health care. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) stated that 1.9 billion people who live in areas with malaria face the threat of being pushed into poverty.

Malaria in Brazil

In Brazil, malaria has a disproportionate impact on the poorest and most vulnerable communities, predominantly concentrated in the Amazon regions. When malaria is contracted, symptoms can be overbearing, affecting the person’s ability to work. As these regions are relatively remote, accessing health care requires time and travel costs, further adding to the economic burden.

Between 2016 and 2022, large-scale deforestation from illegal mining worsened the situation. Miners who come to these regions are potential parasite carriers and may increase transmission. Mining, which involves deforestation and river dredging, also creates breeding grounds for mosquito species that carry malaria. Researchers have described communities in Brazil’s Amazon regions as trapped in a cycle in which deforestation drives poverty, and poverty in turn drives further deforestation.

In 2023, Brazil declared malaria a public health emergency in the Yanomami Indigenous Territory in the Amazon rainforest bordering Venezuela. Nearly every person tested by a team of doctors sent to the region had malaria.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Early diagnosis and treatment are key to successful recovery and reducing disease transmission. Some people have higher risks of developing and experiencing severe symptoms, including infants and children under 5 years of age, pregnant women and individuals with immunocompromised conditions.

Common treatment involves oral medication, though some cases may require injections. Standard therapies include a combination drug regimen based on artemisinin, considered the most effective option against the P. falciparum parasite; chloroquine, used against the P. vivax parasite in regions where it remains effective; and primaquine, often added to prevent relapses caused by the P. vivax and P. ovale parasites.

A Single-Dose Treatment Emerges

The challenge with these treatments is poor patient adherence. They involve multiple stages, and the full treatment course takes 14 days. Many people must travel far and miss work just to access treatment, and when a course goes uncompleted, the risk of relapse and continued spread of malaria increases.

To address this issue, Brazil started a rollout of pediatric tafenoquine, a single-dose treatment that has proven effective against relapsing malaria. Tafenoquine kills P. vivax parasites, which often hide and remain dormant in the body for years before symptoms appear.

P. vivax has the widest geographical reach of any malaria species and predominates across Latin America. While most malaria deaths in Africa are caused by P. falciparum, tafenoquine is a promising treatment and a potential path toward eliminating malaria in regions where P. vivax is dominant.

Thailand recently became the second country to adopt this single-dose treatment, approving pediatric tafenoquine in a step toward its own malaria elimination goals.

Since its first rollout, Brazil has also adopted tafenoquine for adults within its health system. More than 7,000 adults across different municipalities were treated between June 2024 and April 2025, and the country reported a 26.8% drop in malaria cases by the first quarter of 2025.

Global Efforts and Research

Eliminating malaria is a collective effort. In the United Kingdom, reports show that investment in treatment research boosts the country’s economy and creates jobs while saving lives. Brazil is still a long way from its goal of eliminating malaria by 2035, but continuous research, treatment and testing of tafenoquine represent a step closer to that goal, and to strengthening global health security overall.

– Marine Baume

Marine is based in London, UK and focuses on Global Health for The Borgen Project.

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