WINDHOEK, Namibia / AfricaWire.IO / – Malaria has killed 22 people in Namibia’s Zambezi Region this year, as cases since January reached 33,944, health authorities said. Three clinics, Muyako, Choi and Sesheke, have emerged as the main hotspots. They accounted for 49% of the 706 cases recorded over a recent five-week period. Officials have identified mosquito breeding sites and environmental conditions as drivers of the increase.
A report by the Directorate of Health found active breeding sites around Muyako village and Lake Liambezi. In Choi, residents face greater exposure to mosquito bites because of outdoor activities. Poor sanitation in Sesheke has left stagnant water in discarded containers, giving mosquitoes places to breed. Each hotspot therefore faces a different combination of risks, requiring targeted control measures.
Cases have risen steadily through the year. In late September, Zambezi Governor Dorothy Kabula reported 33,349 cases up to the week ending September 12, New Era newspaper said. The region had recorded 25,716 cases in the same period of 2025. Deaths stood at 21 at that point, up from 19 a year earlier, and have since risen to 22. Kabula made the remarks at the annual Lusata Cultural Festival at Chinchimane.
Spraying teams face locked doors
Kabula called on residents to let malaria control teams spray their homes with insecticide. She said some households lock their doors when spray operators arrive, weakening the response. The governor urged that every eligible house in the region be sprayed during the current programme. She described the surge as a very serious concern.
Namibia launched its 2026 indoor residual spraying campaign in Divundu in early September. The programme targets 1.2 million households in malaria-prone regions. A review conducted with Roll Back Malaria, the African Leaders Malaria Alliance and the WHO found surveillance and diagnosis were working well. However, spraying coverage has remained below the WHO minimum of 85%, and gaps were found in bed net use and breeding-site management.
Kavango East leads national case count
Health Minister Esperance Luvindao said Namibia had recorded 122,612 confirmed malaria cases and 122 deaths nationally by early September. Of those cases, 99,078 were contracted locally. Kavango East accounted for 37,488 cases, or 30.6% of the total, and 22 deaths. A total of 9,956 people had been admitted to hospital with the disease. The figures were reported by The Namibian newspaper.
Imported cases made up 23,354 of the national total, prompting closer cooperation with Angola, Zambia and Botswana. The programme review also recommended focusing resources on high-transmission areas. Malaria also places a heavy burden elsewhere in Africa, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo reporting nearly 30,000 deaths in 2025. Warming climates are pushing mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue into new regions. Authorities in Zambezi continue to target breeding sites to curb transmission.