Malaria in Africa accounts for 96% of deaths worldwide. Cape Verde became only the third country in Africa to be declared malaria free this year. This is how they did it.
The past two years have seen groundbreaking advances in the fight against malaria with the development of two vaccines. But demand far exceeds supply, so rollouts need to be carefully managed.
Antimicrobial resistance is an epidemic that kills close to 5 million people annually. The solutions are complex and must take into account the needs of the poor.
Currently we see more than 600,000 deaths from this mosquito-borne disease each year. This new vaccine – the second approved to treat malaria – could change things.
People have been trying to make malaria vaccines for over 100 years. With the help of the revolutionary new R21/Matrix vaccine the disease could be eradicated by 2040.
This whirlwind tour of social history describes how infectious diseases have shaped humanity at every stage. It suggests reducing inequality will give us our best chance of surviving future plagues.
Principal Medical Scientist and Head of Laboratory for Antimalarial Resistance Monitoring and Malaria Operational Research, National Institute for Communicable Diseases