1. Home
  2. Southern Africa
  3. South Africa

More malaria cases forecast

The South African authorities said on Wednesday that they expected the number of malaria cases to reach epidemic levels this year following heavy rains and flooding caused by Cyclone Eline. The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) said 310 people had died of the mosquito-borne disease last year. “Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said that South Africa could face an epidemic this year because of flooding caused by Cyclone Eline. She said that 42,000 cases of malaria were reported in South Africa in 1998 and last year, making the outbreak of malaria the worst in the country in three decades,” the SABC said. The outbreaks occurred mainly in the country’s three low-lying provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Northern Province.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

Share this article

Get the day’s top headlines in your inbox every morning

Starting at just $5 a month, you can become a member of The New Humanitarian and receive our premium newsletter, DAWNS Digest.

DAWNS Digest has been the trusted essential morning read for global aid and foreign policy professionals for more than 10 years.

Government, media, global governance organisations, NGOs, academics, and more subscribe to DAWNS to receive the day’s top global headlines of news and analysis in their inboxes every weekday morning.

It’s the perfect way to start your day.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian today and you’ll automatically be subscribed to DAWNS Digest – free of charge.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join