Gains against malaria recognized on World Mosquito Day

Sarah Kline, executive director of Malaria No More UK, writes in the Guardian's "Poverty Matters Blog" about World Mosquito Day, which is recognized annually on August 20 to commemorate the discovery 114 years ago that female mosquitoes transmit malaria among humans.

She says that a Roll Back Malaria report (.pdf) released earlier this summer "outlined the significant progress made in recent years in terms of developing new drugs, devising tests to diagnose the disease, and promoting the use of nets," as well as noted "the prospect of the first vaccine against malaria, which is currently in third-stage trials in Africa." Kline writes, "The report stressed the importance of continued research and development funding if we are to sustain and accelerate progress in the fight against malaria," and she notes Roll Back Malaria will release a new report on September 12, "setting out the latest gains in the fight against malaria" (8/19).