Africa's public health battle with cerebral malaria: What are we up against?

Abstract

Malaria continues to pose a significant public health challenge in Africa, where 95% of global malaria cases and deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Cerebral malaria (CM) is a fatal type of severe malaria primarily caused by Plasmodium falciparum species and disproportionately affects children under five years. Despite ongoing control efforts, CM persists as one of the most prevalent presentations of severe malaria with surprisingly high prevalences even in regions with lower endemicity and transmission rates. This commentary presents an updated compilation of key CM-related public health challenges, including delayed presentation of cases and a lack of diagnostic tools in resource-limited African communities, leading to misdiagnosis. Further challenges include insufficient provision of anti-malarial drugs and inaccessibility in rural and remote areas, coupled with emerging resistance to the gold-standard therapy (artemisinin combination therapy). CM carries a high risk of long-term neurological complications and is seen in almost half of the survivors. These complications severely impair their daily quality of life and extend to social and financial challenges. CM survivors also suffer from the lack of appropriate health services such as continuous rehabilitation, medical care, and psychological support. Despite its burden, interventional research in CM management remains insufficient, particularly regarding short- and long-term neurological complications. Local African governments have occupied the backseat for the length of this continental health crisis. It is crucial for them to occupy a proactive role in supporting healthcare infrastructure and delivering high-quality health services. Intragovernmental collaborations and establishing a regional health network within Africa can ensure realistic and accurate surveillance data tracking. From this, strategic healthcare planning, control measures, and source allocation could be better observed and tailored to the needs of different African subpopulations.