The rethinking malaria leadership forum identifies achievements, challenges and opportunities in malaria control and eradication

The ‘Rethinking Malaria Leadership Forum’, organized by the T.H. Chan School of Public Health of Harvard University, the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) took place in Harvard University on February 7 and 8. The event emphasized the multidimensional and global aspect of the fight against malaria.

In five main sessions, researchers and other stakeholders – industry, government, NGOs, funders – focused on identifying how to strengthen efficient leadership, promote innovation, and improve the implementation of strategies to advance towards malaria eradication, thereby contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals that the UN member countries have committed to achieve by 2030.

The first session focused on the gaps in eradication knowledge and translation. The experts identified priority areas that require further investigation, such as the complex genetics of the parasite and the mosquito, the impact of insecticide resistance, transmission interruption, community participation, and parasite control in vulnerable populations (pregnant women and young children).

The second session focused on gaps in training and leadership development, and highlighted the need to promote collaborations between institutions to allow training in a local context, develop sustainable training models and involve other actors beyond the health sector.

The third session focused on lessons learned and gaps in R&D. Several needs were identified, including the detection of asymptomatic individuals, the development of sensitive rapid diagnostic tests and a prophylaxis that does not generate resistance.

The fourth session discussed gaps in funding, leadership development and global governance in the fight against malaria. Finally, the fifth session reviewed malaria elimination efforts at the country level and underlined the need to strengthen health systems and improve the implementation of strategies at the national level.

The final output of the forum will be the publication of an analytical framework for malaria elimination and eradication.

ISGlobal’s participation

On behalf of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, a centre supported by the “la Caixa” Foundation, Núria Casamitjana, director of the Training Department and Regina Rabinovich, director of the Malaria Elimination Initiative were part of the Organizing Committee. Other ISGlobal participants were the President of the institute’s Board of Trustees and director of the International Program at "la Caixa" Bank Foundation, the general director Antoni Plasència, researcher Alfredo Mayor, and Kate Whitfield, program leader for the Malaria Elimination Scientific Alliance (MESA).

Participation in the forum was only by direct invitation from the Organizing Committee, who identified those individuals in a decision-making position in the fight against malaria over the next 15 years.

For Núria Casamitjana, “the main driver of the Forum was the WHO’s Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030, which has set ambitious goals for 2030 that will only be reached if all the actors work together, developing innovative solutions in science, implementation, governance and funding, while improving the effectiveness of existing interventions.”