{"id":56581,"date":"2026-04-19T13:36:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T13:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/?p=56581"},"modified":"2026-04-19T13:36:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T13:36:12","slug":"rising-malaria-cases-spark-concern-in-gauteng-amid-growing-fatalities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/2026\/04\/19\/rising-malaria-cases-spark-concern-in-gauteng-amid-growing-fatalities\/","title":{"rendered":"Rising malaria cases spark concern in Gauteng amid growing fatalities"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<p><h2>Residents are urged to seek immediate medical attention if they experience any of these symptoms&#8230;<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) has raised an alarm over a sharp increase in malaria cases and related deaths across the province, urging residents to remain vigilant and seek early treatment.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-spike-in-infections-and-deaths\">Spike in infections and deaths<\/h2>\n<p>According to the department, malaria, a potentially life-threatening disease transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito, continues to pose a serious public health risk.<\/p>\n<p>Recent surveillance data shows a concerning upward trend. Between January and December 2025, Gauteng recorded 666 malaria cases and seven deaths. <\/p>\n<p>However, in just the first three months of 2026, the province has already reported 414 confirmed cases and 11 deaths.<\/p>\n<p>This marks a significant increase compared to the same period in 2025, when 230 cases and one death were recorded.<\/p>\n<p>The department said the rise \u201cunderscores the urgent need for strengthened surveillance, early detection and prompt treatment to prevent loss of life\u201d.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-travel-linked-to-higher-risk\">Travel linked to higher risk<\/h3>\n<p>Health officials attribute the spike partly to increased travel during the festive season, with many residents visiting malaria-endemic regions and returning infected.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe upward trend signals heightened transmission risk, particularly in the early months of the year after the festive season, when many residents travel to malaria-endemic regions, increasing their exposure and risk of infection upon their return,\u201d the department said.<\/p>\n<p>Residents who have travelled to high-risk areas such as Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi have been urged to be especially cautious.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-watch-for-symptoms\">Watch for symptoms<\/h3>\n<p>The department emphasised that malaria is both preventable and treatable, but delays in diagnosis can be fatal.<\/p>\n<p>Residents are urged to seek immediate medical attention if they experience symptoms such as fever, chills, headache, and fatigue, especially after travelling.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPreventive measures, including the use of insect repellent and wearing protective clothing, remain essential to reduce the risk of infection,\u201d the department said.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-world-malaria-day-focus\">World Malaria Day focus<\/h3>\n<p>As the global community prepares to mark World Malaria Day on 25 April 2026, the GDoH has called on residents to take proactive steps to protect themselves and their families.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cContinues to closely monitor the situation and is strengthening public health interventions to control the spread of malaria and reduce mortality across the province,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<h3>Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p>Add The Citizen as a Preferred Source on Google and follow us on Google News to see more of our trusted reporting in Google News and Top Stories.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n#Rising #malaria #cases #spark #concern #Gauteng #growing #fatalities<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Residents are urged to seek immediate medical attention if they experience any of these symptoms&#8230; The Gauteng Department of Health&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":56582,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mzansi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56581"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56581\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56583,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56581\/revisions\/56583"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}