AS the sun beats down on the dusty village of Chirumanzu, Mavis Moyo wipes the sweat from her brow as she struggles to tend to her crops.
The 42-year-old mother of four is no stranger to the challenges of farming in a changing climate, but this year, a new threat has emerged — the relentless spread of malaria.
“It started a few months ago. My children were coming down with fevers one by one, and the clinic was overflowing with patients,” Mavis recounts, her voice tinged with worry.
“The doctors said it’s because of the warmer weather, but I don’t understand how that can be. All I know is that my family is suffering, and the health system is struggling to keep up.”
Mavis’ story is just one of countless accounts emerging from Zimbabwe’s rural communities, where the impacts of climate change are converging with a resurgence of the deadly mosquito-borne disease.
As temperatures rise and rainfall patterns shift, experts warn that the country’s fragile healthcare infrastructure is being pushed to the brink, with dire consequences for the most vulnerable.
In this in-depth feature, NewsDay delves into the experiences of local communities, hear from social and health experts, and explore the response from the Zimbabwean government, shedding light on the urgent need to address the cascading effects of climate change on public health.
In the village of Chirumanzu, Moyo’s struggle is echoed by her neighbours.
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“We’ve never seen anything like this before,” said Tafadzwa Chirume, a community elder.
“The malaria cases are multiplying, and our clinics simply can’t cope.
“We’re running out of medication and the queues just keep getting longer.”
Chirume explained that the changing weather patterns have disrupted the traditional farming calendar, forcing villagers to work longer hours in the fields.
“The hotter temperatures and unpredictable rains have made our crops more vulnerable to pests and diseases,” he said.
“We have to spend more time tending to our land and that's leaving us exposed to mosquito bites.”
Across the region, similar stories are unfolding.
In Manicaland province, Tendai Mupfumira, a mother of three, recounts how her family has been ravaged by the disease.
“Last month, all three of my children came down with malaria,” she said.
“We took them to the clinic, but they were turned away because there were no beds available. It was the most terrifying experience of my life.”
Mupfumira’s voice trembled as she described the agonising wait for treatment, and the heartbreak of watching her children suffer.
“Climate change has brought this upon us, and our government doesn’t seem to be doing enough to protect us.”
Themba Nyathi, a public health specialist at the University of Zimbabwe, says the surge in malaria cases is a clear manifestation of the broader impacts of climate change on human health.
“As temperatures rise and rainfall patterns become more erratic, the breeding grounds for mosquitoes are expanding,” he said.
“This, coupled with the stress on our agricultural systems, is creating the perfect storm for the spread of vector-borne diseases like malaria.”
Nyathi explained that the increased incidence of malaria is not only a burden on individual families, but also threatens to overwhelm the country’s already strained healthcare system.
“Our clinics and hospitals are simply not equipped to handle this level of demand,” he stated.
“The lack of resources, from essential medications to trained personnel, is putting lives at risk.”
Sociologist Chipo Mabika, who has studied the intersection of climate change and social vulnerability, said in a research paper that the malaria crisis is exacerbating existing inequalities.
“The communities that are bearing the brunt of this are the ones that are already marginalised — the rural poor, the elderly, and the very young,” she noted.
“They have the fewest resources to cope with the medical and economic impacts of this disease, and the consequences can be devastating.”
Mabika called for a holistic, community-based approach to addressing the crisis, one that integrates climate adaptation strategies with targeted healthcare interventions.
The Zimbabwean government, through the Health and Child Care ministry, has acknowledged the growing threat of malaria and the link to climate change.
Tafadzwa Mugwagwa, the ministry’s director for disease prevention and control, recently said the government is working to scale up its response.
“We are investing in strengthening our healthcare infrastructure, expanding access to insecticide-treated bed nets, and improving our early warning and surveillance systems,” he pointed out.
“However, the scale of the challenge is immense, and we need greater international support and co-ordination to effectively tackle this crisis.”
Mugwagwa emphasiaed the need for a multifaceted approach that addresses the underlying drivers of the malaria surge, including climate change mitigation and adaptation measures.
“This is not just a public health issue, but a complex challenge that requires a co-ordinated, whole-of-society response,” he said.
“We are committed to working with our partners to protect the health and well-being of all Zimbabweans.”
As the malaria crisis continues to unfold in Zimbabwe, the stories of Moyo, Chirume and Mupfumira serve as a sobering reminder of the cascading impacts of climate change on human health.
With the country’s healthcare system already stretched thin, the surge in malaria cases threatens to push it beyond its breaking point, leaving the most vulnerable members of society without access to life-saving treatment.
The road ahead is daunting, but experts and government officials alike are clear on the urgent need for a comprehensive, multifaceted response that addresses the root causes of this crisis.
Only through a concerted effort to mitigate climate change, strengthen healthcare infrastructure, and empower local communities will Zimbabwe hope to build resilience and protect the health and well-being of its people.
