Welcome to Malaria.com, where, fittingly, we take a look at some of the key developments, challenges, and advances from the past year. The four articles that we are featuring cover a broad spectrum of issues related to malaria research and control. From investigating the evolutionary origins of malaria species to progress made on large-scale international research collaborations, and from using … [Read more...]
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes – The Next Step for Malaria Control?
Earlier this year, a remarkable advance was made in the way technology, and specifically genetic modification, is being used to fight vector-borne diseases. A small British company, Oxitec, started commercial production of an ingenuous method for reducing mosquito populations in the wild, using the mosquitoes’ own mating success as the weapon. These genetically modified mosquitoes are now being … [Read more...]
Welcome to Our Vectors Issue!
Welcome to Malaria.com, and another issue of our newly-launched “e-zine” format. We hope you enjoyed the diagnostics articles that kicked us off in September – we are now back with another selection of articles, this time devoted to a critical issue related to malaria: vectors. Given my academic background in schistosomiasis, which is transmitted by fresh-water snails, I suppose it is not that … [Read more...]
Climate Change and Malaria Distribution: Will Disease Prevalence Also Heat Up in a Warming World?
Last week’s UN General Assembly and Climate Summit in New York once again highlighted the critical need to reduce carbon emissions to prevent catastrophic climate change, which will adversely affect people’s livelihoods and security around the world. The opening statement by the President of the General Assembly, His Excellency Sam Kahamba Kutesa, gave prominence to important topics such as food … [Read more...]
Integrated Strategies for Vector Control: Are They Feasible?
The idea of “integration” of disease efforts is gaining ground in the public health world. But what does that mean in the case of malaria, and will it actually work? With increasing pressure on public health spending to maximize efficiency and efficacy, from both donor agencies as well as within individual governments and Ministries of Health, there has been a push to explore options for … [Read more...]
Introducing a New Look for Malaria.com, and Welcome to Our Diagnostics Issue!
This week we are launching a new look for Malaria.com, the website aimed at bringing together all stakeholders involved in the fight against malaria. While we will continue to provide up-to-date and accurate information about malaria causes, symptoms, treatment, and research, we will now also publish a quarterly online “issue” devoted to a specific topic related to malaria. We hope that these … [Read more...]
Too Much of a Good Thing: Why Over-Diagnosis of Malaria Can Be a Big Problem
When the challenges of malaria control are discussed, most people probably think first about the difficulties of preventing mosquito bites, or perhaps how to get treatment to the millions of people that live far from hospitals and clinics. These are clearly enormous obstacles to preventing and treating malaria, but similarly important is the need for accurate diagnosis. Perhaps surprisingly, while … [Read more...]
World Malaria Day 2014 – How Best to Invest in Malaria Prevention and Control
Each year, World Malaria Day provides an opportunity to reflect on the current status of the fight against malaria. We are in the middle year of the World Malaria Day theme of “Invest in the Future. Defeat Malaria," which is set to last until 2015. Funding for malaria control and prevention, as with all international public health endeavors, has always been perceived as a critical issue, but … [Read more...]
The Future of Subsidized Malaria Drugs (ACTs)
In November 2012, the Board of the Global Fund meets to determine the future of the Affordable Medicines Facility – malaria. Should it be cut, to make better use of limited funds? Or does it still have a role to play in the fight against malaria? In late 2009, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (hereafter, the Global Fund) launched an initiative called the Affordable … [Read more...]
Malaria meeting
QUESTION FACT meeting for malaria control programme directors in Asia are proposing to host a meeting in Penang, Malaysia probably in September 2012 for the all the Head of Malaria Department. Can you kindly update us the details of Head of Malaria Department (name, job position, company address & contacts) so that we can contact him/her regarding the details of the meeting. Looking … [Read more...]