At a Juncture in Malaria Eradication
A LinkedIn post by Harald Nusser, Head of Novartis Access
Read the full post on LinkedIn
We are at a juncture in malaria eradication. If we can sustain the extraordinary efforts of the past 15 years and continue to invest much needed resources, we stand a chance of reaching a malaria-free world within our generation. The upcoming fifth Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Canada represents an important milestone in the fight against malaria and also gives us a fantastic opportunity to take stock of successes and focus on the work ahead.
Since its inception in 2002, the Global Fund has been at the forefront of the fight against infectious diseases and its impact has been staggering: 659 million mosquito nets distributed through programs for malaria; 9.2 million people provided with antiretroviral treatment for HIV; 15.1 million people received treatment for TB. Overall, Global Fund assistance has helped to avert 146 million infections across HIV, TB and malaria combined and overseen a decline of one-third in the number of people dying from these diseases. Put simply, the Global Fund saves lives, 20 million of them – that’s roughly equivalent to two and half times the population of Switzerland – and it will save 2 million more by the end of the year.
