Additional malaria cases and deaths worldwide due to USAID termination 2026| ��ƽ��

Estimated additional number of malaria cases and deaths worldwide after one year due to the termination of USAID as of February 2026

Characteristic	Number of additional cases and deaths
Additional adult malaria cases	2,378,280
Additional child malaria cases	7,151,020
Additional child malaria deaths	53,577
Additional adult malaria deaths	17,871

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Release date

February 2026

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Region

Worldwide

Survey time period

as of February 2026

Supplementary notes

Release date represents the date figures were accessed.

The source used model estimates from "Estimating the potential malaria morbidity and mortality avertable by the President’s Malaria Initiative in 2025: a geospatial modelling analysis" by Symons et al. to determine how many cases and deaths will result due to the halting of vector control and treatment through the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI). Furthermore, they used data from the WHO World Malaria Report to estimate the differential impact on cases and deaths that will happen among children aged five years or younger compared to adolescents and adults. The impact estimates only consider African countries that were part of PMI and do not include countries in Asia that were also granted support. Therefore, the source has noted that they may be underestimating the effect of PMI's cessation. Additionally, the source states their estimates may also be undervalued as they do not include the use of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). RDTs are a critical tool to aid in the timely detection and treatment of malaria, contributing to survival.

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In January 2025, President Trump ordered a pause on funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and a 90-day review of all U.S. foreign assistance. By the end of March, the review had been completed, 83 percent of USAID programs were terminated, and it was announced that certain USAID functions would be overtaken by the Department of State, while all others would be discontinued.

It has been predicted that, as a result of the termination of USAID, within a year, there could be an additional seven million malaria cases among children worldwide, as well as 53,577 additional deaths from malaria among children.

Trump has said that the United States spends too much on foreign aid and accused USAID of being corrupt and a waste of money. However, foreign aid accounts for just one percent of the federal budget. Furthermore, it is predicted that millions of people will die due to the dissolution of USAID, as vulnerable people around the world will no longer be able to access prevention and treatment for diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.