How We Can Help: Malaria Awareness

There are several ways that you can help to spread awareness about malaria:

1. Educate yourself: The first step in spreading awareness about a topic is to learn as much as you can about it. Read up on the causes, symptoms, and treatment of malaria, and learn about the populations that are most at risk.

2. Share your knowledge: Once you have a good understanding of the topic, share what you have learned with others. This could involve talking to friends and family members about malaria, sharing information on social media, or writing articles or blog posts on the topic.

3. Get involved in advocacy: There are many organizations that are working to raise awareness and funds to fight malaria. You can get involved in these efforts by volunteering your time, donating money, or advocating for policies that support malaria control and elimination.

4. Support research: There is still much that we do not know about malaria, and ongoing research is critical to improving our understanding of the disease and finding new ways to prevent and treat it. You can support research by donating money to organizations that fund malaria research, or by participating in research studies as a volunteer.

5. Take preventive measures: If you are traveling to an area where malaria is prevalent, take steps to protect yourself from mosquito bites, such as using insect repellent, wearing long-sleeved clothing, and sleeping under a mosquito net. This can help to reduce your risk of contracting the disease and also help to prevent the spread of the disease to others.

Malaria Research

There are several ways researchers are finding new ways to investigate malaria

- Development of new drugs: Researchers are working to develop new antimalarial drugs that are more effective and have fewer side effects than current treatments. This includes efforts to identify new drug targets within the parasite and to develop compounds that can inhibit these targets.

Some of the new drugs in the testing stage

1. Artesunate-amodiaquine: This combination therapy is currently in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria. It has shown good efficacy in early studies and has the potential to be used as an alternative to artemisinin-based combination therapies, which are currently the first-line treatment for malaria.

2. KAF156: This drug is a new compound that was developed through a partnership between the Medicines for Malaria Venture and the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases. It is currently in Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria and has shown good efficacy in early studies.

3. IMCgp100: This drug is a novel immunotherapy that is being developed for the treatment of malaria. It is designed to stimulate the immune system to attack the Plasmodium parasite and is currently in Phase I clinical trials.

4. Etv2: This drug is a small molecule that has been shown to have activity against multiple stages of the Plasmodium life cycle. It is currently in preclinical testing and has the potential to be developed as a treatment for malaria.

5. Plasmodium vivax vaccine: There is ongoing research to develop a vaccine for Plasmodium vivax, the most prevalent form of malaria outside of Africa. Several vaccine candidates are currently in various stages of development and testing.
   

- Investigation of drug resistance: The emergence of drug-resistant strains of Plasmodium, the parasite that causes malaria, is a major challenge in the fight against the disease. Researchers are studying the mechanisms of drug resistance in the parasite and working to identify ways to overcome it.

- Development of vaccines: There is ongoing research to develop vaccines that can protect against malaria. This includes efforts to identify protective immune responses in individuals who are naturally resistant to the disease, as well as the development of vaccine candidates that can stimulate these responses.

- Epidemiology and surveillance: Researchers are studying the patterns and trends of malaria transmission in different regions of the world, in order to understand the factors that influence the spread of the disease and to identify areas where interventions are most needed.

- Basic research: There is also a lot of basic research being done on malaria, with the goal of improving our understanding of the biology of the parasite and the host-parasite interactions that drive the disease. This includes studies of the genetic and molecular basis of the parasite's life cycle, as well as research on the host immune response to infection.

Malaria Awareness Groups

Here are some AMAZING groups that support malaria awareness all around the world!

1. The Against Project: This organization is focused on the elimination of malaria and other infectious diseases through the development and delivery of new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics. (https://www.againstmalaria.com/ )

2. Malaria No More: This organization works to raise awareness about the impact of malaria and to mobilize resources to support the fight against the disease. (https://www.malarianomore.org/)

3. The Roll Back Malaria Partnership: This global partnership is made up of more than 500 organizations and is working to coordinate efforts to control and eliminate malaria. (https://endmalaria.org/ )

4. The Against Foundation: This foundation is dedicated to supporting research on malaria and other neglected tropical diseases and to translating this research into new treatments and interventions. ( https://www.againstmalaria.com/ )

5. The Against Research Institute: This institute is focused on conducting research to improve our understanding of the biology of malaria and to identify new targets for the development of drugs and vaccines. (https://www.againstmalaria.com/ )

Malaria Statistics

• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), malaria is a major global health problem, with an estimated 229 million cases and 405,000 deaths in 2019.

• Most malaria cases and deaths occur in the WHO African region, followed by the South-East Asia region.

• Children under the age of 5 and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to malaria, as their immune systems are not fully developed and they may have anemia due to the demands of pregnancy.

• Malaria is preventable and curable, and a number of effective prevention and treatment measures are available.

• There has been progress in the fight against malaria in recent years, with global malaria deaths falling by 60% between 2000 and 2020. However, much work still needs to be done to achieve the goal of eliminating the disease.

• The main strategies for controlling malaria include the use of insecticide-treated bed nets, the provision of prompt and effective treatment, and the implementation of vector control measures to reduce the breeding sites of mosquitoes.

• Malaria is a leading cause of poverty and a major impediment to economic development in many countries.

• Research and development efforts are ongoing to improve our understanding of the disease and to identify new ways to prevent and treat it, including the development of new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostic tools.

"Malaria is a disease that has a major impact on global health and development. By increasing awareness and access to prevention and treatment measures, we can make progress in the fight against this disease and improve the health and well-being of people around the world." - Dr. Bernard Nahlen, Deputy Executive Director of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership