Pilot AI-driven malaria prevention study in Mozambique

Malaria continues to claim nearly 600,000 lives each year, with global progress against the disease slowing. Mozambique is among the world’s highest-burden countries, with an estimated 22,000 deaths and more than 10 million infections annually. While mosquito nets, indoor spraying and other prevention methods have saved countless lives and remain essential, they are struggling to keep pace as mosquitoes develop resistance and shifting weather patterns linked to climate change extend transmission seasons. Countries need to explore new tools that reflect today’s challenges and technologies, to sustain progress and protect hard-won gains against malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases.

Disease-carrying mosquitoes often breed in small, stagnant pools of water found outdoors. Locating and treating these habitats is especially challenging in dense urban areas, where vector control operations rely largely on manual mapping for larviciding, a process that is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and often incomplete, as many breeding sites can be small or hard to find. The project with SORA will generate digital maps to guide field teams through a mobile app, helping them apply larvicide treatments directly to mosquito breeding sites.

The pilot will also work closely with communities most affected by malaria, particularly women and mothers, who play a central role in protecting families from the disease. Through targeted engagement and links with maternal health services, the project aims to build awareness and support local participation in malaria prevention efforts. Lessons from Mozambique will help guide how future technologies are tested, adapted, and integrated into national strategies.

Project News: UNITAID

Digital Tools
Operational Research
Social Science
Surveillance
Vector Control
Vulnerable Populations

Mozambique

Larval source management