“We have a dream that one day we would end malaria for good.”

Another World Malaria Day has come and a theme has been set to “end malaria for good.” While this theme is very appropriate for this year given all the achievements made, we all still need to be more proactive in making it happen so this goal does not fall under the wishful thinking category. Malaria is a disease that has plagued different parts of the world for far too long and is proving stubborn to leave.

There has however been a strength in numbers which is the reason why the fight against malaria has progressed to the point that it currently is at. Partnerships, collaborations, and valuable investments have been made towards fighting this plague which has resulted in a 60 percent decrease in malaria mortality in the last 15 years. [World Malaria Day website]

Private-Public Partnerships have played a key role in making this happen. Awareness about the disease has been generated, preventive health methods have been communicated, drugs have been made available and technology has played a role in protecting these drugs from counterfeiting. Great progress has been made but we have to build on existing efforts and step up our activities. More awareness needs to be created on preventive methods, authentic drug supply needs to increase as well. Collaborations across other industries that could potentially offer a helping hand to eradicate this disease need to be explored. We need to keep fighting to build on the work that has been done and look for ways to improve our activities. With the right partnerships, we can turn our dream of ending this disease into a reality.

What ideas do you have to fight this plague that is Malaria? Share them with us in the comments and let us collaborate to fight this disease.