A new era of climate-informed malaria control

Uganda has become the first country in Africa to integrate climate data directly into its malaria scorecard. This achievement marks a critical step toward climate-smart disease surveillance linked to malaria intervention implementation.

The initiative, led by the National Malaria Control Division (NMCD) in partnership with the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA), the Ministry of Health’s Department of Health Information (DHI) and Health Information Systems Programme (HISP), builds on Uganda’s decade-long experience using digital scorecards to strengthen accountability, accelerate action, and improve health outcomes.

For the first time, routine malaria data now sits alongside temperature, rainfall, and humidity indicators, enabling real-time interpretation of how changing weather patterns shape malaria trends resulting in information-based decision making, faster action, and stronger resilience.

From data to action: Uganda’s scorecard story

Uganda launched its malaria scorecard management tool in 2017, supported by ALMA and partners. The scorecard tracks six national and twelve district-level indicators aligned with the Uganda Malaria Reduction and Elimination Strategy.

It has become an essential management and advocacy tool – used by the Ministry of Health and district health teams, health partners and members of parliament. More than 150 users access the online version on the ALMA Scorecard Web Platform, which features both monthly and quarterly scorecards.

The scorecard management tool is integrated into existing management meeting at all levels of the health system, where partners and all stakeholders analyse the data and develop action plans to address underperformance.

Its strength lies in simplicity:

• colour-coded indicators: green for on track, yellow for progress, red for underperformance
• trend arrows that make data interpretation effortless.

Every level of the health system, including health workers and partners, can identify bottlenecks, prioritise interventions, and take life-saving action.

Interoperability with DHIS2: data at the speed of decision-making

In 2024, Uganda achieved interoperability between the national DHIS2 health information system and their malaria scorecard enabling DHIS2 data upload into the scorecard down to facility level. Before the data is exported to the scorecard, the Ministry of Health validates the data by running routine data quality assessments.

Bringing climate into the equation

In July 2025, Uganda became the first country globally to link its malaria scorecard with climate data through the DHIS2 climate app.

The climate app uses ERA5-Land data (the Fifth-Generation initiative of European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Reanalysis for Land). ERA5-Land datasets consist of decades of observations contributed through the World Meteorological Organization Global Observing System.

These data are assimilated into a modern numerical weather model to reconstruct hour-by-hour conditions on a consistent grid, providing reliable data on rainfall, temperature, and humidity at 10-kilometer resolution, from 1950 to the present (including Uganda). Data are cross-checked with national observations where possible to ensure accuracy.

These ERA5-Land datasets are integrated into the DHIS 2 climate app, which is interoperable with the ALMA Scorecard Web Platform. Through this mechanism, data on rainfall, humidity, and temperature are integrated into routine scorecard reviews, supporting earlier and better-targeted action.

For the first time, national and district malaria teams can visualise climate and malaria data together, seeing how periods of intense rainfall or humidity shifts correspond with rising malaria cases. This integration transforms Uganda’s scorecard into a climate-informed monitoring and decision-support system.

While most countries use quarterly scorecards, Uganda introduced monthly malaria scorecards in 2023 to closely track and manage outbreak response and resolution. This monthly cadence provides timely performance data complementing the weekly routine surveillance data. 

The CHAP app: predicting before it happens

Building on this foundation, ALMA is now exploring the application of the CHAP (Climate-Health Action and Predictive) app, a DHIS2-compatible tool designed to add predictive modelling capabilities.

CHAP uses climatic and epidemiological data (rainfall, temperature, humidity, and historical malaria patterns) to forecast malaria upsurges weeks in advance. This predictive layer will feed directly into the scorecard, generating automated alerts when climatic conditions increase malaria risk.

By linking CHAP outputs with scorecard action plans Uganda’s National Malaria Control Division and partners will be able to act early – deploying commodities, adjusting vector control plans, or ramping up community outreach before outbreaks occur.

ALMA, Uganda’s Health Information Systems Programme, and the Uganda National Meteorological Authority are collaborating to refine these predictive tools, positioning Uganda as a continental model for data-driven climate-health innovation.

The intersection of climate and health

This integration comes at a crucial time. Across Africa, climate change and extreme weather events are altering malaria dynamics – extending transmission seasons and expanding geographic risk zones.

By uniting health and environmental data, Uganda is pioneering a climate-smart malaria surveillance model that enables anticipatory response rather than reactive crisis management. The ability to quantify environmental risk and link it directly to programme decisions marks a new frontier for malaria control.

Democratising data for decision-makers

The ALMA Scorecard Web Platform embodies data democratization. It turns complex datasets into clear visuals for decision-making across sectors. Uganda’s integrated malaria and climate scorecard strengthens the bridge between the health and meteorological sectors, enabling them to plan and act together.

District health officers can pinpoint high-risk sub-counties, members of parliament can advocate for resources, and local governments can target interventions based on both epidemiological and environmental signals.

Through its simple colours, arrows, and drill-down features, Uganda’s system has made scientific data accessible to all, driving accountability from communities to the cabinet level.

Learning agenda and next steps

Uganda have identified a shared learning agenda to guide future innovation:

• Evaluate the predictive power and lead time of climate-health models
• Test how actionable monthly data is for pre-emptive malaria interventions
• Refine thresholds and automated alert triggers within the scorecard systems and explore integration of the CHAP
• Document lessons and best practices for replication in other malaria-endemic countries
• This evidence will shape how other nations design climate-informed health systems, guided by Uganda’s experience.

Conclusion

Uganda’s integration of climate data into its malaria scorecard represents a milestone for Africa and a global first in linking health and climate data through national systems.

By combining digital innovation, climate intelligence, and multisectoral collaboration, Uganda is demonstrating how data can drive earlier, smarter, and more sustainable malaria control.

As predictive and diagnostic analytics and multisectoral data become more refined, malaria upsurges will be better predicted and responses better managed, ensuring that prevention and control measures are deployed before outbreaks escalate.

The journey ahead – testing models, refining response triggers, and incorporating environmental and community data – will inform the next generation of climate-informed health systems across the continent.