Dr Astrid Bonfield
CEO, Malaria No More UK
This World Malaria Day, we are calling on the UK government to remember the importance of the security of the country’s health as it strives to make us safer in the face of mounting threats.
One of the worlds biggest killers
Malaria is one of the world’s biggest killers and the hundreds of thousands of lives it claims in malaria endemic countries contributes to instability and insecurity which ripples right across the world. It can devastate health systems leaving people exposed to additional health threats, as well as acting as a great burden on national economies, holding back potential economic and prosperity.
The UK has long been a leader in malaria science,
with two malaria vaccines rolled out last year.
The UK is a leader in Malaria science
The UK has long been a leader in malaria science, with two malaria vaccines rolled out last year, for example, both of which were pioneered by UK scientists, as well as helping to develop a range of other critical interventions, like new treatments and next-generation bed nets to fight the disease.
But the UK’s leading malaria science can only make a difference if these tools reach those who need them. This is why organisations like The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance are so important – because they are the main bodies committed to ensuring life-saving interventions get from the labs where they’re developed to the children and families that so urgently need them.
The urgent need for continued commitment
The UK must therefore remain a steadfast supporter of these organisations. Stepping back now runs the very real risk of unleashing an historic resurgence of the disease, increasing the potential for new resistant strains and wreaking havoc to health systems, economies and societies right across the globe.
