Staff Reporter
THE Minister of Health, Dr Esperance Luvindao, has confirmed that the 2025 malaria outbreak – which saw cases exceed 95,000, making it the most severe since 2020 – has been officially brought under control.
“With the dedicated work of our health workers, support from community health volunteers, deployment of rapid diagnostic testing, intensive targeted risk communication and community engagement activities, environmental assessments and focused investigations conducted in hot spots, indoor residual spraying, and the provision of treatment and preventive measures such as insecticide-treated nets and treatment of breeding sites in affected areas, the outbreak has been successfully contained. Our epidemiological trends over the past four weeks have illustrated patterns consistent with the pre-outbreak period,” Luvindao said.
This comes after the country recorded a dramatic surge in malaria cases, with numbers increasing by more than 80,000 within a year—from 12,003 confirmed cases in 2024 to 95,729 in 2025.
This sharp increase was highlighted in the Ministry of Health and Social Services’ recent overview of the malaria outbreak response (01 November 2024 – 03 August 2025). According to the report, 2025 saw the highest number of confirmed malaria cases and related deaths in the country since 2020.
“Namibia experienced an unusual spike in malaria cases, particularly in the northern part of the country. As of 01 August 2025, a total of 95,412 malaria cases were reported nationwide, with 154 deaths (case fatality rate of 0.2%),” said Dr Esperance Luvindao, Minister of Health and Social Services.
This marks a significant rise compared to previous years. In 2020, the country recorded 13,889 confirmed cases, with 1,159 hospital admissions and 43 deaths. In 2021, there were 13,814 cases, 684 admissions and 15 deaths. The year 2022 saw 11,918 cases, 673 admissions and 35 deaths, while in 2023, Namibia recorded 13,722 cases, 1,037 hospital admissions and 32 deaths. In 2024, there were 12,003 confirmed cases and 31 deaths.
Despite the challenges posed by this year’s outbreak, Luvindao reaffirmed that the situation has been successfully brought under control. She emphasised that the successful containment is a testament to the Ministry’s commitment and collaborative efforts. She expressed gratitude to health workers, community leaders and partner organisations, while continuing to urge the public to remain vigilant.
“With respect to malaria prevention, the Ministry of Health and Social Services is implementing the Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) Campaign. We therefore request communities in the areas targeted for spraying to open their homes to be sprayed, as a measure to reduce malaria transmission. The Ministry of Health and Social Services and its stakeholders will continue strengthening malaria surveillance and enhancing community engagement,” Luvindao added.
