Steady funding, strategic planning key to continued malaria progress

This photograph paints an idyllic scene: 6-year-old Ronnie walks hand-in-hand with her mother on a beach in their home country of Papua New Guinea. What the image fails to demonstrate, however, is that it was taken on the heels of a near-tragedy for the family: Ronnie almost died from a preventable disease and, just two days before this photo was taken, was in critical condition, hospitalized with severe malaria.

Thanks to the Global Fund and its health partners, improved access to malaria treatment and prevention has saved the lives of millions of people like Ronnie. It is important to acknowledge such tremendous progress, as outlined by both the World Health Organization 2015 World Malaria Report, released this week, and a report released in September by the WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund on achievements in the malaria fight over the last 15 years. But it is also important to recognize that such gains can be easily lost without steady funding and strategic planning.

Since the global community came together to establish the Millennium Development Goals in 2000, the world has made great progress. Particularly successful was the achievement of MDG 6, focused on halting and reversing the incidence of malaria and other diseases by the end of 2015.