Accra, Ghana – 19th August, 2026
The fight against mosquito-borne diseases is far from over. While science has transformed our ability to prevent and control diseases such as malaria, new challenges are emerging and millions of people across Africa remain at risk. On World Mosquito Day 2026, AMMREN is urging renewed attention to the science, innovation and accurate public information needed to sustain progress and protect communities.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the African Region accounted for 94% of global malaria cases and 95% of malaria deaths in 2024. Children under five remain among those most affected. Mosquitoes also transmit other diseases, including dengue, yellow fever and chikungunya, making their control an important part of protecting public health.
Yet the challenge still persists. Insecticide resistance, changing environmental and climatic conditions and the spread of invasive mosquito species are creating new concerns for disease-control programmes. At the same time, new tools, including malaria vaccines and improved vector-control interventions, are changing what is possible in the fight against malaria.
AMMREN stresses that mosquito-borne diseases cannot be treated as yesterday’s problem. While science and innovation continue to provide new tools for prevention and control, the threats are also changing. Africa must therefore keep pace by strengthening prevention, embracing scientific advances and ensuring that accurate, accessible information reaches every community. Knowledge must translate into action, and action must translate into lives protected.
On this World Mosquito Day 2026, AMMREN calls for action in three key areas:
• Sustain investment in science and innovation to strengthen surveillance and develop effective tools against evolving mosquito-borne disease threats.
• Put communities at the centre of prevention by ensuring people have the knowledge, tools and support needed to protect themselves and seek timely care.
• Strengthen health communication by making accurate, evidence-based information a core part of disease prevention and control.
Dr. Charity Binka, Executive Secretary of AMMREN, noted: “We must keep the science moving, but we must also ensure that people are not left behind. Accurate information is a powerful tool for prevention.”
The fight against mosquito-borne diseases is not over. Africa must protect the progress it has made, embrace new solutions and ensure that no community is left behind.
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Dr. Charity Binka, Executive Secretary, African Media and Malaria Research Network.
Email: ammren1@gmail.com/Tel: +233 553442105/ +233 303933452
