Shüné Oliver, National Institute for Communicable Diseases dan Jaishree Raman, National Institute for Communicable Diseases
As the Earth warms up the malaria vector will develop faster, allowing them to breed faster, bite more frequently and expand into formerly unsuitable habitats.
The human population has doubled in 48 years, and worsening climate change has left the world facing serious health risks, from infectious diseases to hunger and heat stress.
Jaishree Raman, National Institute for Communicable Diseases
For a malaria vaccine to have an impact, health promotion is key. Awareness campaigns must address safety concerns and emphasise expected positive impacts.
One of the oldest and deadliest diseases, malaria caused more than 627,000 deaths in 2020. A new treatment based on a drug initially developed to fight cancer has shown considerable promise.
Certain viruses like dengue and Zika can make their hosts smell tastier to mosquitoes. Luckily, vitamin A and its derivatives may help combat these odor changes.
So far, similar medical diagnostics tech has either required time-consuming post processing, or has used parts that prevented it from being integrated into a flat design.
Jaishree Raman, National Institute for Communicable Diseases
South Africa is one of the few malaria-endemic countries in Africa that did not see a major upsurge in malaria cases caused by COVID-related disruptions.
Principal Medical Scientist and Head of Laboratory for Antimalarial Resistance Monitoring and Malaria Operational Research, National Institute for Communicable Diseases