A new official report has revealed a staggering public health crisis, with no fewer than 24.47 million Nigerians testing positive for malaria in the first nine months of 2025 alone.
The alarming data is from the 2025 National Health Statistics Report released by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, highlighting a steady and worrying upward trend in cases throughout the year.
The report, obtained by correspondents on Friday, shows a sharp quarterly increase in both testing and confirmed cases. From January to March, approximately 7.3 million individuals were confirmed positive. This number rose to about 7.84 million from April to June.
The most significant jump occurred in the third quarter (July to September), coinciding with the peak of the rainy season, where about 9.32 million people tested positive. This brings the devastating nine-month total to 24,467,232 confirmed malaria cases.
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The figures also detailed the scale of testing, with over 34.8 million Nigerians undergoing malaria tests using Rapid Diagnostic Tests and microscopy across the three quarters.
In tandem with the rising infections, the report showed a significant number of citizens received treatment with Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT). In the first quarter, about 7.14 million people were treated, increasing to 7.66 million in the second quarter, and surging to 9.04 million in the third quarter. Cumulatively, around 23.85 million individuals received ACT treatment during this period.
Despite the grim statistics, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, pointed to some progress. During the 2025 Joint Annual Review in Abuja, he stated that the National Malaria Eradication Programme has achieved "significant milestones" in its control efforts.
However, the data underscores the immense burden malaria continues to place on Nigeria's population and healthcare system, exacerbated by challenges like late treatment-seeking and inadequate health infrastructure.
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