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    • Opinion
    • In partnership with Malaria No More and the Gates Foundation

    Block transmission

    The secret to ending malaria could be protecting mosquitoes from humans. Find out more from Malaria No More CEO Martin Edlund in the third of a five-part series on challenges to fighting the disease, in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

    By Martin Edlund // 15 October 2014

    As villains go, the mosquito is well-cast. The tiny pest is unique in nature in two important respects. First, it has no redeeming value to the broader ecosystem (the name of the particular breed that transmits malaria — “anopheles” — actually means “useless” in Greek); and second, the mosquito is by far the deadliest creature on the planet to human beings, claiming 725,000 lives a year — principally to malaria, but also to diseases including dengue fever and West Nile virus.

    Even Disney, the company that made ants and lobsters lovable, has it in for the mosquito. In a now-famous 1943 animated short “The Winged Scourge,” a Disney narrator brands mosquitoes “public enemy No. 1” for transmitting malaria, and cheers as the Seven Dwarves gleefully pump insecticide and stomp the bug.

    Our first two columns explored how finding the parasite and completely curing infected people are two of the keys to ending this disease. The missing piece is to block transmission and stop the endless shuttling of the parasite back and forth between man and mosquito.

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    The views in this opinion piece do not necessarily reflect Devex's editorial views.

    About the author

    • Martin Edlund

      Martin Edlund@martinmedlund

      Martin Edlund is the chief executive officer of Malaria No More, a globally recognized nonprofit with the visionary mission to end humanity’s oldest, deadliest disease in our lifetimes. Edlund also serves as executive director of the Health Finance Coalition.

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