The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on malaria control and elimination efforts. Modeling predictions suggested the annual malaria death toll in sub-Saharan Africa could double because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) urged countries not to scale back their planned malaria prevention, diagnostic, and treatment activities during the COVID-19 pandemic or the gains made in saving lives from malaria and other diseases over the past 20 years may be lost.

Malaria social and behavior change (SBC) programs had to think afresh and re-strategize to tackle new limitations to reach audiences and convince them to change their behaviors to prevent and manage malaria. Malaria SBC workers increased their efforts while also closely following COVID-19 guidelines.

This snapshot of social media case studies from India, Guyana, Angola, and nine other sub-Saharan African countries flags both the potential and the challenges of using the favored “tech” approach for SBC.