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With over 20 years’ experience in healthcare delivery, public health and operational research on communicable diseases in Africa and Asia, I recognise the inherent complexity of malaria. The disease itself is multifaceted, from …

In Bangladesh, community engagement interventions are empowering women to address the contextual drivers of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) — the development of resistance by bacteria to commonly used treatments, rendering them i…

According to the World Health Organization’s State of Inequality: HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria (2021), diseases including malaria continue to take a disproportionally large toll on marginalised communities. Significant inequiti…

According to the UNESCO Science Report: The Race Against Time for Smarter Development (2021), women researchers are more likely to have shorter, less well-paid careers than their male counterparts and their work is often underrepr…

Aedes-borne arboviruses — a group of diseases including dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever and zika transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes — are among the fastest spreading infections in the world. Since 2020, the six-year Resilience …

Header photo by Genaye Eshetu Podoconiosis, also known as a non-filarial elephantiasis, is highly prevalent in the southwestern and central highlands of Ethiopia. The disease results from continued exposure of people's bare fee…

– The unveiling of the UK Government’s new White Paper on International Development at the end of last year was much anticipated.

In 2023, alongside continuing our work with communities and governments across Africa and Asia to strengthen health systems, improve access to health services and find solutions to improve health and lives, we celebrated our 20th …

According to the World Health Organization, at least 400 million people still lack access to one or more essential health services. Universal health coverage (UHC) is a goal adopted by the United Nations to ensure that everyone ca…

Photos by David Dawali Exodus This is Mairo, a matron at a hospital in Kano state, in northern Nigeria. She stands in the middle of the ward where is she is responsible, alongside a team of nurses, for the care of children who …

Research has a huge role to play in finding innovative ways to defeat pneumonia, the world's leading infectious cause of death in children. Despite being preventable and treatable, pneumonia is responsible for more than 700,000 de…

Adut is a mother of four children (soon to be five) from South Sudan. Every year, her local community suffers the effects of malaria, with lives lost to this preventable and treatable disease.

Author's note: This blog is an update from the original article published in 2019. Since then, Malaria Consortium's SMC activities have grown from targeting six million children to 25 million children in 2023. This expansion has t…

What defines good leadership in the context of African health programmes? Is it economic power, the ability to govern or provide oversight, or the determination to follow a plan and take responsibility for one's own peoples' healt…

Dengue is the fastest spreading infectious disease in the world. Around 70 percent of cases are currently found in Asia, but prevalence elsewhere is increasing due to anthropogenic factors including rapid urbanisation and globalis…

"Persist, never stagnate, retain that enthusiasm, that positive nature that all of you have. Enjoy what you are doing. You are in a wonderful field." These words of encouragement were shared by Dr Leo Braack, our Senior Vector …

Programmes that aim to target disease control and improve health outcomes for populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are often complex and multi-faceted and, as a result, it can prove challenging to track effectiv…

Globally, countries in Africa and Asia face the world's highest mortality rates attributable to diseases including malaria, dengue and pneumonia. Research plays a critical role in improving health outcomes for populations living i…

Cambodia has achieved significant levels of malaria reduction, aiming to eliminate all species of malaria by 2025. Despite this progress, populations living in the most remote and forested areas in the north, including ethnic mino…

Globally, over 70 percent of health and social sector workers are women, and in areas with a shortage of formal health workers, women make up a significant proportion of community health workers (CHWs). Community health workers an…

In selected hospitals and COVID-19 treatment centres in Ethiopia and Uganda, teams of physicians, lab technicians, data managers and study coordinators, are working on an innovative research project, exploring the potential risk o…

Since 2016, every 11th February has marked International Day of Women and Girls in Science. With less than 30 percent of the world's researchers being women, this global day of action focuses attention on gender equality - recogni…

From 5 to 9 December, the Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Summit 2022 in Marrakesh, Morocco, saw the coming together of over 1,800 SBCC professionals to reflect on our experiences and the direction of SBCC. In tac…

Agriculture in Ethiopia is central to the country's economy. With a variety of crops grown, including coffee, farming is the main source of income - more than 80 percent of the country are engaged in food production. But in over a…

Genetic modification is a topic of much debate for those focused on malaria control and elimination. Towards the end of last year, I joined policymakers, scientists, researchers and legal experts from the seven East African Commun…

2022 was a busy year at Malaria Consortium! Thanks to our supporters, we were able to work with communities and governments across Africa and Asia to strengthen health systems, improve access to health services and find solutions …

Togo has been implementing seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) since 2013, following recommendations from the World Health Organization. Since 2020, Malaria Consortium has been a partner of the Togolese Ministry of Hea…

Ekondo Titi - a district in the Southwest region of Cameroon, accessible only by boat and difficult dirt roads - has a high rate of malaria. Here, access to healthcare and essential information on disease prevention and treatment …

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 400 million people still lack access to one or more essential health services. Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is a goal adopted by the United Nations (UN) to ensure that …

From 31 October to 5 November 2022, as part of the Resistance Against Future Threats (RAFT) project through Vector Control, funded by UK aid, Malaria Consortium hosted a learning exchange with arboviral experts from across Africa …

As COP27 is underway this week in Sharm el-Sheikh, the world is reminded of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), set by the United Nations, one of which is to catalyse action against climate change. This week also marks a sig…

"One who sees something good must narrate it" - Ugandan proverb In Uganda, malaria is a leading cause of death, particularly in pregnant women and children. Infections occur throughout the year in most parts of the country and …

As I reflect on recent visits to our country teams and programme activities in Uganda, Ethiopia and Nigeria - my last visits in my role as Chief Executive of Malaria Consortium - it seems to me to reflect precisely the mission tha…

In Mozambique, malaria is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality, responsible for 10 million infections and over 23,000 deaths in 2020, with children under five and pregnant women most at risk. Malaria must be treated quickl…

In Kole - a district in northern Uganda - village health teams (VHTs) provide essential health services primarily for children under five. Malaria is a leading cause of death across the country, with women and children most at ris…

Integrated community case management (iCCM) is a proven community-led intervention to effectively manage common childhood illnesses including malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea, for children under five years. Village health teams (V…

Adut is 18 years old, and a student living in Naivasha. She has been helping to inform young people within her school and community about accessing sexual health services and spreading awareness of the importance of safe sex.

Malaria burden in mid-northern Uganda Malaria is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Uganda, particularly among children under five who do not have access to good quality health facilities at the community level. In…

Whilst the COVID-19 vaccine was developed in an unprecedented timeframe, it has taken combined efforts, spanning 30 years, for a malaria vaccine to reach the potential for wide-scale distribution. In October 2021, the World Health…

The increasing threat of antimicrobial resistance Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health threat, driven in part by the misuse and overuse of antimicrobial drugs. Microbes change over time and become resistant to medi…

Countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) have achieved significant levels of malaria reduction, but many still face the challenge of residual malaria. With the emerging threat of drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum in the …

This week, Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali, was bustling – even more so than usual. There was a steady stream of shuttle buses making their way through Central Kigali, darting between the many venues hosting parts of the 26th C…

Today marks the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) annual Dengue Day. Despite the alarming rate of increase – dengue is the world’s fastest-growing vector-borne disease with approximately half of the world’s pop…

Malaria Consortium conducts high-quality implementation and operational research to provide evidence on country specific as well as globally significant innovative social behaviour change (SBC) approaches and best practice. We use…

Malaria is a major global public health problem with high case rates, malaria deaths and illness, taking a toll on the most vulnerable, including children and pregnant mothers. Despite being preventable, malaria can overwhelm heal…

We are celebrating the achievements of Malaria Consortium’s Dr Sylvia Meek scholars, who have benefited from a scholarship fund set up in 2016 to honour the legacy of one of our co-founders. Since the scholarships began, eight s…

In 2003, Malaria Consortium was co-founded by Dr Sylvia Meek, a passionate public health entomologist. Sylvia was not just a brilliant scientist – her research at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine laid some of…

Diseases expose health inequalities, particularly across parts of Africa and Asia where women, girls and young children are disproportionately affected by diseases like malaria. Often, women and girls are unable to access essentia…

Last month, European and African Heads of State met for the 6th European Union and African Union Summit in Brussels, held two years later than originally planned due to the coronavirus pandemic. Overall, the Summit was successful,…

This month marks one year since Malaria Consortium was granted Independent Research Organisation (IRO) status, making us one of only a few international non-governmental organisations to hold this status in the UK.

What exactly is capacity development? Capacity development as a field has changed quite a bit, especially in the past two decades. Even today, if you were to bring five experts together, they might each give you a different def…

Supply chains, and the consequences of their breakdown, have been an unusual, and somewhat regular, topic of mainstream news since the emergence of COVID-19. Backlogs of containers at ports, empty shelves in shops and shortages of…

Last year, our seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) programme reached 20 million children across Burkina Faso, Chad, Nigeria, Mozambique, Togo and Uganda, providing them with antimalarials to prevent malaria infections during th…

Heavy rain has been pouring down, non-stop, since the early morning. It’s one of those days during the monsoon season where we know our mobile malaria workers (MMWs) and the Malaria Consortium teams might wish to be in any numbe…

The past year has dealt us a paradoxical mix of highs and lows. After decades of research and investment, the world rejoiced at the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendation that the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine should be provided …

In 2021, we produced a record 79 non-peer-reviewed publications that reflect Malaria Consortium’s impressive and varied portfolio of work. We have not only been able to grow our translated content – with a quarter of this year…

In spite of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, over the last 12 months we continued to deliver projects and, in some cases, significantly expand our work, ensuring communities were supported and receiving essential h…

In a recent webinar, Malaria Consortium and the leaders of the national malaria control programmes in Uganda and Mozambique presented the latest implementation research from both countries exploring whether seasonal malaria chemop…

As the global health community comes together virtually for this year’s American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) Annual Meeting, it represents a key moment of reflection for Malaria Consortium’s seasonal malar…

This year, we will be attending the 2021 American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene Annual Meeting, which is taking place virtually. Our experts will be presenting on a range of topics including our work on intermittent p…

When Malaria Consortium was established in 2003, our primary focus was on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of malaria. However, with half of deaths in children under five caused by malaria, pneumonia, diarrhoea and ac…

Climatic changes are being observed across the African continent. These changes may be contributing to the spread of malaria, especially in Ethiopia where the diverse topography, varied vector abundance and unstable weather …

The Malaria Policy Advisory Group (MPAG) is an independent body that provides policy advice to the World Health Organization (WHO) on matters relating to malaria control and elimination. MPAG met earlier this month, convening some…

The 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) came to a close last week in New York. Attended by the majority of the world’s Heads of State and senior diplomats, the UNGA saw a range of discussions concerning pe…

In 2020, Malaria Consortium began a phased implementation study to assess the feasibility, acceptability and protective effect of SMC in Nampula province, in the north of Mozambique. Working in partnership with Mozambique’s Nati…

In 2020, Malaria Consortium began a phased implementation study to assess the feasibility, acceptability and protective effect of SMC in Nampula province, in the north of Mozambique. Working in partnership with Mozambique’s Nati…

Each year on 20th August, organisations working to eliminate mosquito-borne diseases come together to mark World Mosquito Day, acknowledging the discovery of the link between malaria and the mosquito responsible for the spread of …

Over the last decade, Mozambique has intensified its malaria control and elimination activities. To reach a malaria-free future, Mozambique can now build on data-driven interventions to combat malaria morbidity and mortality. W…

There are few things that can rival the satisfaction and quiet pleasure of witnessing the progress of a bright and talented new generation of young professionals blossoming to take their place in society and embark on their career…

In recent months, the UK government’s messaging on ‘Global Britain’ has increased, Cornwall has hosted the G7 summit and the Foreign Affairs Committee has launched an enquiry into the UK-Nigeria relationship following the re…

After 70 years of efforts to eliminate malaria, the People's Republic of China is now certified malaria-free by the World Health Organization (WHO). China adds to the other 39 countries in the world certified by WHO as malaria-fre…

Malaria Consortium is supporting Uganda’s National Malaria Control Division (NMCD) to implement a pilot project assessing the feasibility, acceptability and impact of seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) – the first time thi…