By Charlotte Follari, Norma Quintanilla, and Emily Shambaugh Malaria is one of the world’s most widespread and deadly infectious diseases, with nearly half of the world’s population at risk of exposure. One of the major barriers to effective malaria control, and the reason why it remains such an entrenched public health problem, is that risk of exposure, and access to control interventions, … [Read more...]
Lessons Learned from the Elimination of Malaria in the United States
By Jordan Cuevas, Mackenzie Moore, and Grant Rosensteel Malaria is one of the most widespread infectious diseases, affecting millions of people around the world every year and resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths. Despite its ubiquity, some countries have been able to successfully control, and even eliminate, malaria. This piece takes a look at how the United States tackled the … [Read more...]
Are We Doing Enough for Malaria Research?
I used the World RePORT online app to investigate some key questions raised by the recent Malaria Futures for Africa report. Earlier this year, the Malaria Futures for Africa (MalaFA) report was released. A large opinion research study, incorporating views and insights from top malaria experts in government, academia, and non-governmental organizations across Africa, the report presented a … [Read more...]
10 Non-traditional Ways People Get Rid of Mosquito Bites
Mosquito bites itch, and they almost always seem to come at the worst possible time. Given it’s a problem pretty much everyone around the world encounters, lots of people are trying to find creative ways to get rid of them. Below are 10 interesting methods used to combat mosquitoes and their bites. From bananas, to honey, people are getting quite creative to stop the itch. These methods were … [Read more...]
A Worrying Trend – What if Malaria Control is Getting Harder?
Driving down the road this week in Conakry, the capital city of Guinea, I saw large banners highlighting World Malaria Day on April 25. Guinea, sandwiched between Mali, Senegal, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea Bissau in West Africa, is one of the poorest countries in the world and is also hyper-endemic for malaria. It experienced an estimated 4.79 million cases in 2016, out of a total population … [Read more...]
Is LAMP Diagnostics the Key to Malaria Elimination?
Malaria elimination is possible within a generation. But controlling malaria and eliminating malaria are different, and each pose certain challenges. Overcoming the unique challenges of malaria elimination is essential to meeting this goal, and the barriers presented in malaria elimination settings will require different strategies and policies. Researchers at the Malaria Elimination Initiative … [Read more...]
How Epstein-Barr Virus and Malaria Co-infection May Create a Lethal Combination
A recent study in PLOS Pathogens investigates how Epstein-Barr virus and malaria co-infection may create a lethal combination if the timing is right. Epstein-Barr virus and malaria are two infections that can each be controlled on their own, but a new study in PLOS Pathogens shows that co-infection can perhaps become more lethal than each infection alone, providing one possible explanation for … [Read more...]
World Malaria Day 2015: A Major (Millennial) Milestone
April 25 was World Malaria Day. Each year, it gives us a chance to reflect on where we stand in the on-going struggle to control this deadly disease. This year is no exception, and in fact, provides even more reason for measuring progress – 2015 is the milestone by which the international community will judge progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), a set of bold targets laid out … [Read more...]
A World Without Malaria: New President’s Malaria Initiative Strategy Launched
By Deborah L. Birx, M.D., and Rear Admiral (RET.) R. Tim Ziemer The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the scale-up of malaria control efforts between 2001 and 2013 resulted in some 4.3 million fewer malaria deaths than would otherwise have occurred. The impressive results are due in large part to programs like the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) that are focused on … [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...]