Malaria remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in many countries, with an estimated 249 million cases and 435,000 deaths occurring globally in 2022. This infectious disease is caused by plasmodium parasites which are spread by the female anopheles mosquitoes mainly in countries in the tropical regions. Geographically Namibia is partly in the tropics and subtropic. Because of this geographical location, most districts of Namibia do not have malaria whereas others are endemically affected. Over the years Namibia has been trying to eliminate malaria in the affected districts including Andara in Kavango region with no success.

This study was conducted to identify factors responsible for a stable transmission of malaria in Andara District in Kavango East Region of Namibia, and how these may be addressed. A cross sectional randomized sampling method was employed to select 360 respondents. A self-administered structured questionnaire comprising both closed- and open-ended questions was used to collect data. The questionnaire consisted of three sections: A: biographical information, B: Knowledge about factors that impede the elimination of Malaria in Andara district, C: Likert scale questions on malaria elimination. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 27.0 which included descriptive statistics to generate frequencies and percentages. Qualitative responses were thematically reviewed and integrated with quantitative findings for combined presentation.

The study revealed the following factors to be responsible for a stable malaria transmission in Andara District: limited research on traditional malaria prevention methods, uncontrolled cross border human movement, favorable environmental conditions for mosquito breeding, climate change, resistance of mosquitos to insecticides and poor surveillance of malaria transmission hotspots. Among these factors some are modifiable and, if addressed timeously, transmission of malaria may be reduced or eliminated completely in Andara district.