WINDHOEK, Namibia / AfricaWire.IO / – Namibia’s Zambezi Region has recorded 33,944 malaria cases since January, according to health authorities. The region has also recorded 22 deaths from the disease this year. Muyako, Choi and Sesheke clinics are the main hotspots. Together, they accounted for 49% of the 706 cases reported over a recent five-week period. Health officials have linked the rise to mosquito breeding sites and environmental factors.
The latest report from the Directorate of Health found active mosquito breeding sites around Muyako village and Lake Liambezi. In Choi, outdoor activities are increasing residents’ exposure to mosquito bites. In Sesheke, poor sanitation and stagnant water in discarded containers are creating breeding sites. Authorities have used the findings to identify the local factors behind the increase in cases.
The latest total is higher than the figure reported by regional leaders in September. Zambezi Governor Dorothy Kabula said then that the region had recorded 33,349 cases up to the week ending September 12, according to New Era newspaper. That compared with 25,716 cases in the same period of 2025. She said 21 people had died by that point, compared with 19 a year earlier. The governor was speaking at the annual Lusata Cultural Festival at Chinchimane.
Residents urged to allow indoor spraying
Kabula urged residents to allow malaria control teams to spray their homes. She said some residents lock their houses when spray operators visit, which undermines control efforts. The governor called for all eligible houses in the region to be sprayed during the current programme. She described the rise in cases as a very serious concern that needs to be addressed.
Indoor residual spraying is one of Namibia’s main tools against malaria. The national campaign for 2026 aims to spray 1.2 million households in malaria-prone regions and was launched in Divundu in early September. A programme review found that spraying coverage has stayed below the WHO minimum target of 85%. It also identified gaps in bed net distribution and use, breeding-site management and mosquito monitoring.
National malaria cases pass 122,000
Nationally, Namibia had recorded 122,612 confirmed malaria cases and 122 deaths by early September, Health Minister Esperance Luvindao said. Of those cases, 99,078 were contracted locally and 23,354 were imported. Kavango East was the hardest-hit region, with 37,488 cases. A total of 9,956 people had been admitted to hospital with the disease. Zambezi is one of 10 of Namibia’s 14 regions where malaria remains present, according to The Namibian newspaper.
Namibia is working more closely with Angola, Zambia and Botswana to address cases entering from neighbouring countries. Malaria remains a major public health challenge across Africa, where the Democratic Republic of the Congo recorded more than 26 million cases in 2025. Mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue are also spreading to new regions as climates warm. Health authorities in the Zambezi Region continue to target breeding sites to reduce transmission.