Malaria is one of the world’s oldest diseases yet continues to be a major global disease burden with enormous impact on the health and development of almost half the world’s population. Though in general, cases result in uncomplicated disease with a low case fatality rate, it can lead to severe complications, particularly for pregnant women and children. Demonstratively, across the Asia-Pacific there are 36 million cases of malaria every year, with 42,000 fatalities. Despite this significant impact on morbidity and mortality, the real tragedy of malaria is the burden placed on families and the economic growth of developing countries through losses in productivity, education, and the associated health care costs.
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| RESULTS' Aldo King (left) and Maree Nutt (right) with the "African Princess" and Roll Back Malaria Ambassador Yvonne Chaka Chaka in Parliament House, Canberra to meet with MPs and Senators on Malaria and other issues. |
This is a disease of poverty, mostly affecting countries with limited infrastructure and resources available for malaria control. In endemic countries malaria is a part of everyday life, you do not have to look far to discover the constant impact it has on communities. Some families can spend over a quarter of their income on malaria prevention and treatment. Therefore, aside from the modest goal of saving lives, a real benefit of controlling and eliminating malaria will be a significant improvement to the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people.
The good news is that malaria could be controlled for less than one-tenth of the economic losses suffered as a result of death and illness. Malaria control, costing between US $2-24 per disability adjusted life year (DALY) saved, is one of the most cost-effective health interventions. It is also considered one of the most effective strategies for reducing poverty and childhood mortality. So… if malaria is easily treatable and preventable, why does it continue to be a leading cause of morbidity and mortality across the majority world?
Infectious diseases do not respect borders, therefore, a regional approach must be a collaborative long term commitment. Developing countries have by far the largest global disease burden, but also both the lowest incomes and global health expenditure, tackling malaria has to be a responsibility for the entire international community. In the past a combination of political factors and shifting global priorities has meant we have failed to deliver a sustained and collaborative commitment. Unless we see programs through to the end with necessary scope and coverage, the disease will resurge and all our efforts thus far will be waisted or worse, deadly, demonstrated by the emergence of increasing drug resistance.
What we often neglect in the struggle to identify global priorities is what malaria control means at the local community level. The reality is that for many communities living in poverty, malaria prevention might not be the highest priority when faced with daily struggles to survive. Reflecting upon my own experiences in malaria endemic regions, and the fact that often effective and readily available interventions such as bed nets can be underutilized, we need to ensure that our efforts within the region combine resources and support with adequate education and awareness activities.
Malaria 2012 therefore, brings me cautious hope. The increasing priority placed on malaria control globally is very exciting, and for our neighbours in the Asia-Pacific this could mean great things for both their health and economic development. It is pleasing to see Australia take leadership and place importance on this significant disease. At the same time, we need to ensure that recent and ongoing efforts to tackle malaria are sustained and comprehensive, staying focused on the very communities we hope to impact. The goal of saving lives by controlling and eliminating malaria will ultimately benefit us all.
by Sandra Opoku, RESULTS Melbourne Group
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