Gates has an audacious battle plan to fight malaria
Southern Africa is in the frontline of the war to wipe out malaria
Malaria is low priority health-care risk in Southern Africa, but it is testimony to how hard it is to get a solid grip on the disease that SA is one of the countries targeted for its eradication by 2020 but also recorded a shocking 678% increase in cases in 2017. Compared with SA’s health headaches tuberculosis and HIV, malaria is small potatoes. Globally, however, it’s an enormous issue, particularly on the African continent. Partly for this reason, Central America, Southern Africa and Southeast Asia are set to become the frontline of an audacious battle: eradication. The campaign is underpinned by a kind of military strategy: attack the fringes and work towards the centre. The centre is tropical Africa, particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo, but also West Africa and northern Mozambique, where malaria has been endemic for centuries. About half-a-million people, mostly children, die from malaria every year. The campaign has the potential to save a breath-taking number of liv...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.