U.S. Global Malaria Coordinator Dr. Raj Panjabi penned an op-ed for TIME about how the RTS,S malaria vaccine offers hope that there can be a circle of learning from one pandemic to the next.
“Malaria, our oldest pandemic, may offer insights on how we can survive contemporary scourges like COVID-19,” wrote Panjabi.
The piece also coincided with the release of PMI’s 2021-2016 strategy.
In it, Panjabi reminds readers that, “Malaria changed history. The fight against it is changing the world.” Specifically that 1) more than medical breakthroughs are needed to end a disease 2) care needs to be brought to people, and 3) to build a muscle you need to use it.
“A pandemic may take our loved ones, steal our jobs, and destroy our communities. It’s no wonder the question of whether we can end them is met with despair. But there is some reassuring news today: the end of our oldest pandemic, malaria, is now within reach. Ending malaria would pay for itself many times over—creating $2 trillion in savings, according to a report from End Malaria 2040. But more importantly, it would save millions of lives.”
The full piece, “The World’s First Malaria Vaccine—and What it Means for the Future of Pandemic Response,” is available at TIME.com.