Grantees’ efforts could help turn the tide of
malaria in Africa.

Malaria was eradicated from the developed world decades ago, yet in Africa it still kills 2,000 children every day. In 2005, the foundation supported the efforts of a number of grantees to fight the disease on two fronts: by stepping up efforts to control malaria using existing prevention and treatment tools, and by accelerating the development of new tools.

With the support of a $35 million foundation grant, the Seattle-based organization PATH is working with the government of Zambia and other partners to help cut malaria deaths in that country by 75 percent. The partnership—called MACEPA, for Malaria Control and Evaluation Partnership in Africa—will document the impact of a national malaria-control program that will provide widespread access to insecticide-treated bed nets, effective drug treatment, and other tools. MACEPA's findings will provide critical information for other malaria-affected countries and donors.

While providing greater access to current tools could significantly reduce malaria deaths, developing new tools is also an urgent priority. In October, we announced grants totaling $258.3 million to spur innovation in three critical areas of malaria prevention and treatment:

• Malaria vaccine: The PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative is working with GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals and African scientists to conduct advanced clinical trials of the RTS,S vaccine candidate, which has been shown to protect young children from severe malaria over an 18-month period.
• New drugs: The Medicines for Malaria Venture is developing a new generation of malaria treatments, an effort that has gained new urgency as drug resistance has rendered the cheapest and most widely used malaria drugs useless in many parts of Africa.
• Mosquito control: The Innovative Vector Control Consortium, based at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, is developing new methods for controlling malaria-transmitting mosquitoes, including longer-lasting bed nets and more effective, safer insecticides.