We have come a long way, but Africa must take the lead in malaria research and innovation

For the first time in more than a decade, global progress against malaria has stalled, as evidenced in the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) World Malaria Report, putting at risk decades of investment.

Currently, malaria kills a child every two minutes — a trend we cannot allow to continue.

Whilst there is no easy path to beating the disease, accelerating the pace of research and innovation is key, after all, future progress is contingent on new products and innovations.

Africa accounts for 91 per cent of the global malaria cases and 93 per cent of malaria-related deaths, so it is a region in urgent need of innovations.

I believe the upcoming Pan-African Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) this month in Dakar, Senegal, is a real opportunity to shine a spotlight on the disease and jump-start research and development projects for the future.

Research capacity

Showcasing the latest scientific breakthroughs coming out of the heavily burdened continent, the conference gives scientists and researchers an opportunity to collaborate and share ideas and their latest research findings.

In fact, the inaugural MIM conference held 20 years ago, identified priority research areas for malaria which, over the next decade, yielded the development of highly effective malaria control tools — notably, long-lasting insecticide-treated nets, rapid diagnostic tests and artemisinin-based combination therapies.

MIM also has a mandate to develop a sustainable malaria research capacity in Africa through international and Pan-African scientific partnerships and training.

It is exactly this collaboration that we at the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership to End Malaria, see as key to the success of fighting the disease.

Researchers will present their findings on a range of topics, from drug resistance to vector control.

Malaria is a very complex disease, but we have come a long way in understanding the multifaceted approach needed to eliminate it and are on the cusp of potentially life-saving discoveries, some of which may well come from Africa.

The good news is that we have come a long way in understanding the multifaceted approach needed to eliminate it.

Take, for instance, a Ugandan engineer who — after missing lectures due to malaria — came up with a low-cost, reusable device that can test for the disease quickly and accurately, without drawing blood, using magnets and light beams.

Also, new ways of controlling the mosquito population are constantly being developed, like the “gene drive” that could one day alter mosquitos so that they cannot carry the malaria parasite or reproduce.

Despite decades of research, there is currently no commercially available malaria vaccine.

RTS,S vaccine

This year Ghana, Kenya and Malawi will pilot the new RTS,S vaccine, marking a huge step forward in our efforts to end the disease for good.

It is the first regulator-approved vaccine against the deadliest form of human malaria P. falciparum, which will be offered for babies and children in high-risk areas as part of real-life trials.

Meanwhile, a new drug application for Tafenoquine, a radical single-dose medication for the cure of Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax) malaria in patients 16 years of age and older, has been submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration.

If approved, it would be the first new medicine for the prevention of relapse of P. vivax malaria in more than 60 years. These are potentially game-changing developments for Africa in particular, and we need more African scientists and researchers joining our collective search for innovative and adaptable solutions in the fight against the disease.

But while innovation is crucial in the long-term, increasing coverage of essential lifesaving interventions and reaching those hard to reach communities is crucial and remains one of our biggest challenges.

As we mark World Malaria Day on April 25, we must persuade governments, international organisations and the private sector to not only accelerate the latest innovations but also scale up successful prevention and treatment methods.

The combination of scientific interventions and political gravitas will be critical in the push to end malaria for good.

Dr Winnie Mpanju-Shumbusho, is chair of the board of the Roll Back Malaria partnership.