The global fight against malaria since 2000 has been one of public health’s greatest triumphs, saving nearly 7 million lives and preventing over one billion cases. However, that progress has recently stalled. While the coverage of anti-malarial interventions has never been higher, the number of malaria cases is no longer decreasing. Population growth among the most affected groups in the highest burden countries, unpredictable and severe climate patterns, the proliferation of new mosquito breeding sites alongside agricultural and industrial developments, and the biological threats of insecticide and drug resistance must be addressed to overcome this stagnation and set the world back on track to ending malaria for good.
The progress since 2000 and the ambition to end malaria was achieved through:
- Innovations in vector control, diagnosis, and treatment;
- Collaborations between citizens, governments, multilateral agencies, and businesses; and
- Scaled support provided by the Global Fund, the US President’s Malaria Initiative, and other RBM partners.
What we need now are:
- New innovations to address the changing dynamics of the disease,
- New collaborations across sectors and industries to address malaria holistically, and
- New commitments to the rapid scale and timely deployment of new tools in an uncertain market environment for developers.
To address these challenges and explore successful pathways for improvement, the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, together with the World Health Organization, Unitaid, Business Alliance Against Malaria, and the US President’s Malaria Initiative are convening a panel discussion on the multisectoral innovation, collaboration, and scale needed to end malaria. The moderated discussion will explore:
- Recent scale-up efforts in malaria-endemic countries
- Opportunities to accelerate access to new tools in the coming years, and
- Interventions by businesses operating outside the health sector
