From social media engagement to public health action: the role of social media in sustainable malaria elimination

Background Malaria remains a major global public health challenge, for which conventional malaria prevention and elimination depend on malaria-related knowledge, perceptions, behaviors, and public responses, but in reality, they require integrated surveillance, community engagement, behavioral change, and the rapid translation of evidence into context-specific public health action. Social media has emerged as an important module involving communities in intervention design and implementation, but evidence remains fragmented across measurable malaria outcomes and analytics. Objective To map and synthesize the available evidence using social media for the malaria elimination continuum, limitations, and gaps, and to inform the integration of social media intelligence into malaria programs and policy. Methodology A scoping review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA-ScR using a predefined search and screening framework. Studies were eligible if they examined the use or evaluation of social media platforms or social media-derived data. Records were screened for eligibility, and data were charted according to study characteristics, geographical setting, platform, social media function, malaria application, and demonstrated public health action level. Findings were synthesized descriptively and mapped along an engagement-to-action pathway. Results Thirty studies published between 2016 and 2026 were included. Eighteen originated from African settings, eight were global/international, three were from China, and one was from India. Twitter/X and Facebook were the most frequently represented platforms. Health education and behavior-change communication was the most common primary social-media role (33.3%), while misinformation and risk communication accounted for 23.3%. At the highest demonstrated public-health action level, 10 studies reported reach, engagement, or knowledge outcomes; 12 generated public-health intelligence; and two reported malaria-related health outcomes. Conclusion Social media has evolved from disseminating malaria information to supporting social listening and program response, but a substantial engagement-to-action gap remains, with limited evidence linking social media activities to malaria-related health outcomes. Therefore, social media should be integrated as a complementary component of surveillance rather than considered a stand-alone elimination intervention.