Global leaders led by African Heads of State have today announced the first in a series of pledges to accelerate progress against malaria and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) at the historic Kigali Summit on Malaria and NTDs. Hosted by His Excellency Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda, the Kigali Summit featured commitments totalling more than $US 4 billion including funding from governments, international organisations, philanthropists, and private sector support. In addition, 18 billion tablets have been donated by pharmaceutical companies for
Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s Regional Director for Africa expressed optimism in the actualization of a malaria-free Africa. In a statement to mark the World Malaria Day 2022, Moeti said there is the need to urgently scale up innovation and the deployment of new tools in the fight against malaria, while advocating for equitable access to malaria prevention and treatment, within the context of building health system resilience. The past year has seen significant breakthroughs in malaria prevention and control, in spite
Malaria vaccine coverage through childhood immunization programme signals strong community demand for vaccine. Two years on from the launch of a pilot programme, more than 1.7 million doses of the world’s first malaria vaccine have been administered in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, benefitting more than 650,000 children with additional malaria protection. The number of children reached in this relatively short period indicates strong community demand for the vaccine as well as the capacity of the countries’ child immunization programmes to deliver the vaccine on
Patrick Sieyes, Head of Global Growth at Vestergaard, ,a global health company, has described vector control as the cornerstone of malaria prevention. Sieyes noted that vector control in the form of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS) is crucial in preventing malaria. “Given the resource limitations, investment in the most cost-effective and basic tools, such as high quality PBO Nets and vector control tools must be prioritized to maximize impact,” he said. Studies have shown that LLINs in particular