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Bill and Melinda Gates Applaud Progress Against Malaria While Urging Renewed Effort
Optimism, urgency and innovation needed to bring an end to malaria

Seattle, Washington, October 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Three hundred leading malaria scientists, global health leaders, policymakers, government officials and advocates gathered today at the Malaria Forum to discuss great strides in malaria control and address challenges that are impacting the long-term goal of eradication.

“We have seen tremendous success in the control of malaria, thanks to an infusion of resources, innovation, and political will,” said Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “Worldwide, malaria deaths are down 20 percent since 2000.”

More than one million African children have been saved from malaria since 2000. New tools such as long-lasting insecticide treated bed nets and artemisinin-based combination treatments (ACTs)—along with prevention during pregnancy and indoor residual spraying—have made this recent progress possible.

A surge of financial and political commitments from endemic countries, donor governments, non-governmental organizations, private companies, and individuals sparked a decade of scientific advancement and the development of lifesaving tools that fight malaria. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative and the World Bank’s Malaria Booster Program transformed the funding landscape and contributed significantly to successes in malaria control.

Mrs. Gates congratulated the forum participants and urged them to maintain momentum or recent gains could be lost.