Invest to achieve zero malaria: The global malaria fight in Papua New Guinea

Over the course of human history, malaria is a leading killer.
The ancient pathogen has claimed between 150 million and 300 million lives in the 20th century alone. According to the 2023 WHO World Malaria Report, there were 3.7 million cases in Asia Pacific; globally, 68 children die an hour.
In the Asia Pacific region, there has been significant progress in the fight against this disease.
Despite a global wave of progress, in Asia Pacific the disease persists among our most vulnerable populations. According to WHO’s 2023 World Malaria Report, 5 countries in the world experienced a doubling of malaria cases. Papua New Guinea was one of them.
New tools can accelerate the fight across the globe; but strong health systems are the foundation. In Papua New Guinea, supply chain, reduced efficacy of insecticides, and health delivery challenges have likely contributed to increases. Today, Papua New Guinea holds 86% of all malaria in the WHO’s Western Pacific Region.
We also need to recognize the centrality of women and girls in our malaria fight. They are critical to the health in our communities and must be at the forefront of making decisions around research, evidence generation, and policy.
In 2014, at the 9th East Asia Summit, 15 heads of government pledged to eliminate malaria by 2030. We must hold ourselves accountable to this promise. 44 countries in the world have eliminated malaria.
Here in Papua New Guinea, the time is now to begin anew, for the country, for Melanesia, and for the Region. The return on investment and economic benefit from ending malaria is estimated at 6:1 in Asia Pacific. Ending malaria improves public health, increases productivity and reduces health system burdens. We have leadership in our communities that give us reason to hope.
But eliminating malaria will take a unified response, a mission mode that links local, national, and global leadership. Climate change and malaria are inextricably linked - deforestation, warming temperatures and human migration are increasing transmission globally.
Time is running out. Let us invest in the lives of the next generation and eliminate malaria once and for all. We must act now.
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In memory of Leo Sora Makita
November 1, 1959 - May 18, 2024
Malaria Warrior in Papua New Guinea for 43 years