This week, the Gauteng health department issued an alert about increased malaria cases in the province, urging residents to be vigilant.
While malaria is endemic in three provinces, Gauteng isn’t one of them.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), which conducts malaria surveillance, acknowledges the increase in cases. According to the NICD, unusually heavy rains and flooding across southern Africa have led to an increase in malaria cases. In some instances, malaria has been found in areas in South Africa where the disease isn’t usually transmitted.
In the first three months of 2026, Gauteng recorded 414 confirmed malaria cases and 11 deaths. But most of these cases are imported.
“This means the infections were acquired in the malaria-endemic regions of Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, or through international travel to malaria-endemic locations, and diagnosed after individuals returned to Gauteng,” the NICD explains in a statement.
“In South Africa, malaria transmission is mainly confined to the low-altitude areas of KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga, where malaria-transmitting mosquitoes occur and environmental conditions support ongoing transmission.”
Malaria-transmitting mosquitoes don’t occur in Gauteng, thus people infected with malaria cannot pass the disease on to others. While the numbers in Gauteng are concerning and need increased public awareness, the infections were acquired in malaria-endemic regions outside the province.
Malaria is both preventable and treatable. But it can progress quickly to severe illness and death if it’s not diagnosed and treated in time.
Travellers to malaria-endemic areas should take preventive measures seriously, including the use of appropriate malaria chemoprophylaxis for moderate- to high-risk destinations.
Anyone who develops flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, headache, body aches, or fatigue after recent travel to a malaria-endemic area – whether within South Africa or elsewhere in Africa – should seek medical attention immediately and request a malaria test. This applies even to those who have taken preventive medication, as no prophylactic is 100% effective.
Early diagnosis and prompt treatment save lives.
Read the full statement from the NICD here
