On September 8, 2019, the Lancet published a report from its Commission on Malaria Eradication concluding that malaria can and should be eradicated within a generation. U.S. Global Malaria Coordinator Dr. Ken Staley is a member of the Commission and a co-author of the report, along with other leading scientists, policymakers, and implementation experts.
The U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) welcomes the publication of the report from the Lancet Commission on Malaria Eradication, which concludes that malaria can and should be eradicated by the year 2050. The report emphasizes how achieving the goal of malaria eradication will not just save lives but will reduce poverty and contribute to global health security, and that the benefits of eradication will greatly exceed the costs. PMI and the U.S. Government together with the global malaria partnership share this vision for a world without malaria.
“This report will be incredibly valuable for the global malaria community, and I’m honored to have played a part in it,” said Dr. Staley. “Not only will it help guide our collective efforts to create a world free of malaria, it will bring renewed purpose, urgency, and dedication to the task.”
In addition to a detailed analysis of why malaria eradication should be pursued, including the potential return on investment for countries impacted by the disease, the report describes the key factors that will reduce malaria transmission. It also examines the major operational, biological, and financial challenges on the path to eradication, and explores the potential impact of future innovations.
The report highlights three ways to ensure the world will be malaria-free within a generation: improving data-driven management, implementation, and evaluation of existing programs and technologies; introducing new technologies; and increasing spending on malaria with a focus on identifying new sources of funds and increasing domestic spending on malaria.
PMI embodies many of these recommendations and will continue to work with countries to improve efficiency in its programs, expand coverage of proven interventions, introduce and scale new tools, and foster healthy marketplaces for innovation. Further, PMI is revolutionizing the malaria data environment to better share, integrate, and analyze data, as an important means to accelerate progress toward eradication.
The full report, “Malaria eradication within a generation: ambitious, achievable, and necessary,” was published in The Lancet and can be found at www.thelancet.com/commissions/malaria-eradication
More information about the Lancet Commission on Malaria Eradication and the report is available at www.malariaeradicationcommission.com