New Delhi: Emphasizing on new solutions and strategies including next-generation drugs, diagnostics and vaccines, WHO has urged member countries must reinforce and scale-up their efforts to combat malaria a potentially fatal mosquito-borne disease.
As per Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia, the WHO South-East Asia Region has made compelling progress in its efforts to combat malaria, a potentially fatal mosquito-borne disease that targets society’s most vulnerable, stymieing health, development and the future of millions of children across the Region.
“Between 2000 and 2014, the SEA Region achieved an 85% decline in malaria mortality rates, with all member countries committed to malaria elimination by 2030 at the latest. In a region where approximately 1.4 billion people are at risk, there is no space for complacency. To end malaria for good, member countries must reinforce and scale-up their efforts now,” stated Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh in her message.
Sustained and robust financial investment and political will is crucial, she said further while elaborating, “This is necessary to make immediate gains, and also to eliminate any danger of resurgence. Last century there was dozens of examples of malaria resurgence around the world, many of them linked to decreases in funding and political will. History must not be repeated. National malaria programs must be empowered to work across sectors, and to utilize resources effectively. These programs must possess a broad range of capabilities and must be backed by effective national policies. Community participation and buy-in is also critical. Many of the people at risk of malaria live in hilly and inaccessible areas. In some cases they are also mobile. Action must be accelerated in these high-burden areas and among vulnerable groups, with a gradual shift in the response from the national to the local level.”
WHO’s South-East Asia Region comprises the following 11 Member States: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste.
Dr Singh in her message also stressed on the continued development of new solutions and strategies – including next-generation drugs, diagnostics and vaccines – will similarly play a key role in beating the threat from drug and insecticide resistance. “The emergence in the Greater Mekong Subregion of serious malaria multidrug resistance, including to artemisinin-based combination therapies, has the potential to jeopardize all ongoing efforts in the SEA Region and beyond. A WHO-coordinated six-country malaria elimination effort is working to avert this possibility,” she mentioned.
“Ending malaria for good is an ambitious target. We know that. But it is also achievable. WHO remains committed to working with member countries and partner organizations such as the Global Fund and the Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance to combat the debilitating disease and to lift its burden from the South-East Asia Region. We must end malaria for good. We must scale-up and sustain Region-wide anti-malaria efforts,” concluded the message from WHO Regional Director.
