The Lancet: The global fight against malaria is at crossroads
Pedro Alonso, director of the WHO Global Malaria Programme, and Abdisalan M. Noor, team leader for surveillance at the WHO Global Malaria Programme

“…We must … recognize that globally we are not on track to meet the targets in WHO’s Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030. Reducing the intervention coverage gap must become a priority and requires smarter use of existing resources and substantially increased funding. For the smarter use of resources, reliable data for decision making by national programs and investment in surveillance systems must be prioritized. … The international community must be commended for sustaining funding despite major economic crises in recent years … The current funding levels, however, fall short of what is needed. … Deliberate and sustained efforts must be initiated to ensure that the domestic funding envelope is substantially increased. … With current tools we can accurately diagnose and effectively treat malaria, thereby reducing the unacceptable levels of malaria deaths. Universal access to health is central to achieving this. We can get back on track towards the targets in WHO’s Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030, but this will require an important revision of the political, policy, operational, and financial approaches to fighting malaria” (11/28).