PATH observes the occasion with a week of activities

PATH staff will be reporting once again from Zambia, meeting with politicians in Europe, and briefing members of Congress this week as part of a global campaign to address malaria. April 25, 2010, is the third annual World Malaria Day, commemorating the effort to control malaria and reduce the toll it takes on individuals, families, and economies in endemic regions.

This year’s World Malaria Day marks a critical time for the international community. Just eight months remain to meet 2010 targets set by the United Nations to deliver effective and affordable protection and treatment to populations at risk for malaria.

Below is an overview of how PATH is marking World Malaria Day. Please check back throughout the week for news and updates about our activities.

“Counting malaria out” in Zambia

The Malaria Control and Evaluation Partnership in Africa (MACEPA) at PATH will be involved in a range of activities in Zambia and beyond. Together with our partners and in the spirit of “Counting Malaria Out”—this year’s World Malaria Day theme—we will reflect on successes in the fight against malaria and focus on comprehensively tracking progress toward universal coverage of malaria-fighting tools by the end of 2010.

We’ll be reporting on the activities through a special edition of our electronic newsletter, MACEPA News, and in a multimedia diary.

Learn more:

• Read a diary of malaria activities taking place in Zambia and Ethiopia.
• Find out about PATH’s work in malaria.
• Subscribe and view past issues of MACEPA News.

Advocating for a malaria vaccine

Leaders of the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) will be in the United States and Belgium to participate in important discussions about malaria.

On Tuesday, April 27, MVI director Christian Loucq will speak at a working lunch organized by the Red Cross at the European Parliament in Brussels. At the event entitled “Universal health coverage, health MGDs [millennium development goals] and vaccines: moving toward malaria eradication,” Dr. Loucq will talk about the latest developments in malaria vaccines and the road to their introduction.

On Saturday, April 24, MVI will host a display at the Washington Nationals baseball game in conjunction with other organizations devoted to the fight against malaria.

Earlier this week, MVI co-sponsored the event “United against malaria: kick out malaria” at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. The event highlighted the remarkable progress that has been made toward the control and elimination of malaria, and it honored leaders in this fight, including the Congressional Malaria Caucus and the Senate Working Group on Malaria.

Learn more:

• Get MVI director Christian Loucq’s perspective on the third World Malaria Day.
• Check out this trailer for Kill or Cure? The Malaria Vaccine, a fascinating BBC documentary.
• Watch a short video on the need to prepare for malaria vaccines.
• Visit the MVI website.

Marking malaria in Seattle

On Monday, April 26, PATH and the Washington Global Health Alliance will host a panel of malaria experts at PATH’s Seattle headquarters to celebrate the Pacific Northwest’s commitment to a world free from malaria. Speakers include Dr. Robert Newman, director of the Global Malaria Program for the World Health Organization, and Dr. Regina Rabinovich, director of Infectious Diseases for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Local experts will present on the remarkable recent inroads being made in strengthening countries’ abilities to halt the disease, the development of new technologies, and the challenges that lie ahead.

The free event is from 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Space is limited. To register or get more information, please email macepa@path.org.

More about World Malaria Day

World Malaria Day is organized by the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, which comprises more than 500 partners committed to providing a global response to the disease. This year, the partnership continues its Counting Malaria Out campaign to intensify global efforts to achieve the goal of near-zero deaths by 2015 and the gradual eradication of malaria.

For more information, visit the World Malaria Day website.

Photos, from top: John-Michael Maas/Darby Communications, PATH/Paul Libiszowski, PATH.