Yaounde: The recent reduction in U.S. foreign aid has significantly disrupted malaria control efforts in northern Cameroon, leading to a rise in malaria-related deaths, particularly among infants.

In one tragic case, nine-month-old Mohamat died after a three-day fever, highlighting the consequences of the absence of U.S.-funded community health workers and shortages of essential medicines such as injectable artesunate.

The cuts have affected the President's Malaria Initiative, which supports malaria control across 30 African countries. In Cameroon’s Far North region alone, over 2,100 health workers have ceased operations, and life-saving drugs are increasingly scarce. Malaria mortality rates, which had previously dropped from 17 percent to 8 percent, have risen to 15 percent in early 2025.

Challenges in data collection have made it difficult to assess the full impact of the aid cuts, and while the U.S. has assured that essential malaria aid will continue, gaps in implementation persist.

Health experts warn that sustained international support is critical to prevent further loss of life from malaria and other infectious diseases in vulnerable regions.