Key messages: who is at risk?

© WHO / Fanjan Combrink
Parents walk to Gyabankrom Community Health Planning Services Zone for checkups on health, including ensuring childhood vaccinations are updated.

Populations at risk of malaria

Malaria disproportionately affects those in situations of greatest poverty and vulnerability, with young children in the African Region suffering the greatest mortality.
Refugees, migrants and internally displaced people are at higher risk of malaria, due to limited access to health services, and financial and geographical barriers.
- Migrant populations such as miners, agriculture workers, labourers and soldiers are particularly susceptible to malaria.
- Indigenous Peoples are at high risk of malaria due to the remote locations - far from health services - and conditions in which they often live.
Pregnant women living in poor, rural areas are disproportionately impacted by malaria.
- Pregnancy reduces women’s immunity to malaria, making them more susceptible to infection and increasing their risk of severe disease and death.
- Malaria infection in pregnancy also carries substantial risks for the fetus and newborn child – including low birthweight, a strong risk factor for neonatal and childhood mortality.

Gender barriers to accessing health services

In malaria-affected communities, barriers to accessing health services may include, for example:

Lack of decision-making power: in some communities, gender dynamics within a household can hamper a woman’s ability to access prompt malaria prevention and treatment services. Social and cultural norms may require women to receive male approval before using preventive measures such as insecticide-treated nets or seeking care.
Discriminatory attitudes of healthcare providers: for young women, stigma associated with adolescent pregnancy may create barriers to timely malaria prevention and care.
Lower literacy rates: some studies have shown that women and girls tend to have less access to information on how to protect themselves from malaria, and how to seek care, due to their comparatively lower literacy levels.
Humanitarian crises and conflict: in situations of conflict, health services are often compromised and the insecurity can lead to challenges in safely accessing information and care, particularly for women and children.
Climate change is undermining the social determinants of health by impacting livelihoods, nutrition, migration and security. It contributes to reduced access to essential health services. Taken together, these factors are heightening the risk of malaria-related illness and death, and women and girls are among the groups that are disproportionately impacted.

Boys and men may also experience gender-related health vulnerabilities, heightening their risk of malaria and introducing barriers for access.

Men working outdoors in forestry, fishing, mining or agriculture may be at greater risk of contracting malaria, especially when their work occurs during peak mosquito biting times around dusk.
Social and cultural norms of masculinity may discourage boys and men from seeking health care services.