
Uganda Virus Research Institute/Target Malaria Uganda joins the rest of the world today to commemorate World Malaria Day.
The day is an occasion to appreciate efforts by countries worldwide to fight the disease and also highlight the need for continued investment for malaria prevention and control.
Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. In 2018, there were over 200 million cases of malaria worldwide and over 400 000 malaria deaths, most were young children in sub-Saharan Africa.
Target Malaria Uganda Principal Investigator Dr Jonathan Kayondo says further financial and political commitment is needed to end malaria. Dr Kayondo notes that an additional US$2 billion per year (as identified by Roll Back Malaria) is required to make malaria-saving tools available to everyone at risk, and to invest in new scalable and cost-effective tools to complement existing ones. He stresses the need for novel technologies to eradicate malaria emphasising that current available tools and methods are not enough to eradicate malaria.
Dr Kayondo also says Target Malaria project in Uganda is involving local communities and stakeholders at the sites where we work, to share information about malaria mosquitoes and also contribute to the co-development of technology through their feedback.
“Engaging local communities and stakeholders at different levels is key to Target Malaria, if we are to defeat this disease since it is the local communities that bear the greatest burden of malaria”, Dr Kayondo says.
This year, the global theme for World Malaria Day, ‘Zero Malaria Starts with Me’, emphasizes the power and responsibility – no matter where we live – to ensure no one dies from a mosquito bite. It engages and enables political decision-makers, the private sector, civil society, the academic community and the public to take actions that will protect families, communities and countries and achieve a malaria-free world.
As we join the rest of the world to commemorate the World Malaria Day, Target Malaria Uganda is pleased to share information on Target Malaria research and current efforts to contribute to the global fight against Malaria.