Insights
A World Free of Malaria?
April 24, 2015
- Buzz
- A World Free of Malaria?
Medical texts from as early as 2700 B.C. include descriptions of malaria—a disease caused by wily parasites transmitted through the bite of a mosquito. Scientists, inventors—even soldiers—have spent centuries searching for remedies and preventions against the disease that today affects nearly 200 million people annually, and is the leading cause of child mortality in the developing world.
Bed nets, antimalarial drugs, and insecticides have all helped to reduce the number of malaria cases, but no one approach has solved the problem. Scroll through some of the malaria interventions used throughout history:
In 2013, the global total of international and domestic funding for malaria alone was US$ 2.6 billion – but still less than half of what is needed for health interventions, according to the UN.
At Intellectual Ventures, we believe it will take a variety of iterative and radical innovations to ultimately eradicate malaria. Global Good will continue to work with the Lighting Science Group to commercialize the photonic fence and pursue more accurate diagnostics platforms with GE, but on tomorrow’s World Malaria Day, there are so many efforts that should be applauded in the fight against both a preventable and a curable disease.
If you are interested in supporting an organization addressing malaria eradication, a good place to start is the UN’s Roll Back Malaria Partnership. Individual donors can learn more here and organizations can get involved here.
