Nigeria has reduced its malaria prevalence from 42 percent in 2010 to 15 percent in 2025, marking significant progress after more than a decade of sustained control efforts, the government said on Wednesday.

Nigeria's Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Adekunle Salako, said the reduction reflects substantial progress in the fight against malaria in Africa's most populous country and represents a major public health milestone.

Speaking to reporters, Salako attributed the gains to a range of interventions, including vector control measures, expanded access to diagnosis and treatment, stronger disease surveillance systems, preventive programs, and the successful implementation of Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) across northern Nigeria.

However, he noted that Nigeria continues to bear the world's largest malaria burden, accounting for about 24.3 percent of global cases. Malaria remains one of the leading causes of death among children under five, underscoring the need for additional evidence-based interventions to accelerate malaria elimination.

Salako said the government has also introduced Intermittent Preventive Treatment for infants in states not covered by SMC, in line with World Health Organization recommendations for malaria-endemic countries.

In October 2024, Nigeria incorporated a free malaria vaccine into its routine immunization program for children under one year of age. More than 800,000 vaccine doses were distributed during the first phase of the rollout.

According to the 2025 World Malaria Report, nearly 200,000 malaria-related deaths occurred in Nigeria in 2024, with children under five and pregnant women remaining the groups most at risk.

(With input from wires)