Fighting Malaria Together Newsletter - August 2011

FEATURE FOCUS

Saving lives by investing in malaria control

Carlos C. (Kent) Campbell

Investment in fighting malaria is paying off in a dramatic fashion. In this issue of the MACEPA newsletter, several articles address the importance of predictable, sustained funding for malaria control. Since 2003, global funding for malaria control activities has increased more than 10-fold, rising from US$100 million to US$1.8 billion in 2010. The US Government has contributed significantly, through their support for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) and through the funding of the US President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI).

The results documented in just a few years have been remarkable. Household ownership of insecticide-treated bednets is now higher than 50 percent in many African countries, effective medicines and diagnostics are now widely available, and 75 million people were protected by indoor residual spraying of insecticides in 2009 in the Africa region. Meanwhile, GFATM is developing innovative financing mechanisms to make medicines more accessible and to prevent delays in disbursements of bednets, as detailed in articles “Improving access to subsidized antimalarials in Kenya” and “Closing the bednet gap with innovative financing.”

As a result, the burden of malaria has dropped sharply. Since 2005, seven of the PMI focus countries reported drops in child mortality rate ranging from 23 to 36 percent, including several countries that partner with MACEPA reported drops in malaria parasitemia of up to 50 percent. Perhaps most notable, these achievements have set the stage for many countries to begin work toward eliminating the disease altogether.

The last few years have been truly extraordinary. Donor funding and specifically American taxpayer dollars have, through PMI and GFATM, translated directly into new and improved tools for fighting the disease, as well as the development of strong national malaria control programs. Funding malaria control efforts provides an excellent return on investment, and has paid off in the most valuable measure of success: lives saved. As Aaron Emmel’s article “Against all odds, a good year for funding for the US President's Malaria Initiative” illustrates, the US Government acknowledged the singular success of malaria control work this year by increasing the amount of money allocated for fighting the disease by US$33 million—a notable increase during a time of economic uncertainty, when funding for many other health programs was cut. With so much on the chopping block, malaria control—and PMI, as a US Agency for International Development program—stands out as a proven, high-yield investment.

However, successes in controlling malaria are fragile. The malaria parasite is tenacious; any easing up in our efforts gives it an opportunity to come back stronger than ever, and for malaria illnesses and deaths to resurge. The United States should be proud of what it has helped to accomplish, but the work is not finished. The only way to make sure that no more lives are lost needlessly is to eliminate the disease altogether. With sustained and predictable funding, the United States, as a global partner, can assist countries in eliminating the threat of malaria.