This week, the world marks World Antimicrobial Awareness Week and malaria parasites, though often forgotten, are part of the range of microbes preventing us from achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of Good Health and Well-being.

Malaria remains an immense public health burden, especially in Africa. It mainly affects the poor, and remains an immense health burden for families and nations. 

Africa bears more than 94% of all malaria cases and deaths, and the disease is one of the top three causes of death. The toll is staggering: almost 600,000 lives lost each year and an estimated $127 billion drained from potential GDP. 

Although significant progress has been made over the last two decades to curb malaria deaths and illness, hurdles such as growing resistance to the current range of interventions have stalled the race to reach elimination. The global malaria community have set an ambitious target to eliminate the disease by 2030.

Africa, Japan and Europe unite

Africa, Japan and Europe are joining forces to tackle the escalating threat of antimalarial drug resistance through research aimed at developing innovations.

It is remarkable that the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9), which took place in June,  put malaria on the agenda, with a side event demonstrating how African, Japanese and European governments and researchers are helping tackle Africa’s malaria crisis and catalyzing change. Recognizing malaria as a crisis in Africa is important to drive urgent action.

TICAD9 showcased how Japanese, African and European partners are collaborating to co-create a malaria-free future. Partners included Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), Nagasaki University, Shionogi and Company, the RBM Partnership to End Malaria and Kenya’s Ministry of Health, sharing their long history of collaborating on health interventions to address the burden of malaria.

Innovations include MMV’s development of the next generation non-artemisinin treatments, and its development of the long acting injectable together with Shionogi and Nagasaki University.

Other innovations include Sysmex’s rapid malaria diagnostic tests that can provide complete blood counts, making it faster and more affordable to diagnose malaria and other diseases; SORA’s Artificial Intelligence and drones that are helping detect and destroy mosquito larvae breeding sites; and Eiken’s gene amplification technology that can diagnose malaria early (when it could be missed by microscopy or rapid detection tests). These present new frontiers in North-South collaboration. 

These achievements strive to change the malaria elimination trajectory at a time when the famous perfect storm of antimalarial resistance threatens our gains.

Increasing access to malaria interventions, especially for the poor, is critical.

An essential part of the Big Push towards malaria elimination is increasing accessibility, acceptability and adaptability of existing tools, while developing and rapidly introducing new ones. It is only through this route that we can combat emerging threats, such as antimalarial drug resistance, insecticide resistance, climate change, and rising humanitarian crises. 

Going the extra mile

Together with Japanese and European researchers, malaria-endemic countries are going the extra mile to invest in research capacity, knowledge exchange and technology transfer to give the people most affected by malaria more access to the innovations they need at an affordable price.

So, while we have averted 12.7 million malaria deaths in the past two decades and have a stronger suite of tools – from new medicines and vaccines to duo-insecticide mosquito nets and AI-driven interventions – it is important to appreciate that Global North-South Partnerships are driving progress forward. Today, these partnerships necessitate exploring new frontiers and strengthening collaborations, including the ones between Japan and Africa.

Malaria elimination is possible, but we must commit to increasing resources if we want to achieve this.

In the face of limited and competing resources, we must start to see malaria as more than a disease burdening endemic countries. It is an intersectional global health challenge that undermines health systems, threatens international development goals, and weakens global health security.

Several African countries demonstrate that malaria does not have to be an inevitable crisis for the continent. Cabo Verde and Egypt recently received malaria-free certification from the World Health Organization. Rwanda has drastically reduced its burden of malaria over the last five years, and Eswatini and Botswana are  nearing malaria elimination.

With strong partnerships, increased financial, human and infrastructural investments and committed governments, the disease can be made history.

It is equally important that we do not rest on our laurels because of the previous progress made but increase investments towards malaria, especially in the face of the expanding threat of antimalarial drug resistance in Africa.

Aden Duale is the Minister of Health in Kenya. As the Member of Parliament for Garissa Township since 2007, he has implemented significant health programs, played a crucial role in responding to health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and advocated for vital health reforms. His areas of expertise include health policy and administration, public health management, and community health initiatives. 

Cristina Donini is the Executive Vice President and Head of Research, Early Development and Modelling at MMV, where she manages antimalarial drug development projects and collaborates on new candidate development. Passionate about the malaria eradication agenda, she has previously held roles at GSK, Serono, and Merck Serono, where she led a team in Pharmaceutical Chemistry. Cristina holds a PharmD and a doctorate in Pharmaceutical Technology from the University of Parma, Italy, in collaboration with Purdue University.

Dr Inaoka Ken Daniel is a distinguished professor at the Institute of Tropical Medicine at Nagasaki University, where he specializes in tropical medicine and infectious diseases. His research focuses on various aspects of tropical medicine, including malaria, dengue fever, and other vector-borne diseases, contributing significantly to the global understanding of these conditions.

Dr Takaya Kenji is a Senior Scientist at Shionogi & Co., Ltd. With a strong academic foundation in pharmaceutical sciences and extensive experience in drug discovery and development, Dr Takaya has contributed significantly to the development of new medications that address unmet medical needs. His research interests include antimicrobial resistance, antiviral therapies, and the optimization of drug formulations. 

Dr Michael Adekunle Charles is CEO of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria. He is dedicated to putting malaria high on the global health agenda and pursuing interventions that address the disease and it intersection with factors such as climate, gender, poverty and inequity. Dr. Charles also served at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for 17 years, where he was at the helm of strategically aligning the organisation’s Africa vision to meet evolving needs.