Securing a safer world: How Britain’s life sciences expertise can help end malaria

Image credit: Hugo Bainbridge/Malaria No More UK

During last week’s Labour Party Conference, IVCC’s CEO Justin McBeath attended a breakfast roundtable hosted by Malaria No More UK.

The roundtable offered the opportunity to present key voices from a range of speakers, many with a strong background in malaria science to discuss how the UK can play its part more effectively in the global fight and why it is important that it does so.

The UK has been at the forefront of the fight against global diseases for centuries. As an important international donor, the UK has led efforts to reduce the burden of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa and across the globe.

The roundtable supported the recent publication of a practical, evidence-based guide for how the newly established UK government can reinvigorate its fight against malaria. The pamphlet, titled: ‘The Government’s First Steps to Ending Malaria’, draws insight from global malaria experts, including Justin McBeath who called for ministers to experience the innovation taking place across the country firsthand. He also highlighted how it is incumbent on the scientific community to equip policymakers with the information they need to make evidence-based decisions.

UK-led research and innovation, backed by direct funding from the UK Government or financed via multilateral institutions, has played an important role supporting in Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) like IVCC; and in the development of new vector control tools such as dual active ingredient nets (ITNs) which averted an estimated 13 million malaria cases and approximately 24,600 deaths in 21 countries between 2018 and 2023.

Continued support for innovation in therapeutics, vaccines, vector control and diagnostics means that a malaria-free future is possible.

By bolstering international health initiatives such as the New Nets Project and Product Development Partnerships more broadly, the UK cultivates a more secure, resilient, and prosperous global landscape. Investment in overseas aid for global health fosters international cooperation and economic stability. It strengthens diplomatic ties and reinforces the UK’s position as a global leader that is committed to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Jessica Tole MP and Catherine West MP (Parliamentary Under-Secretary Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) with Victoria Fowler, Head of UK Advocacy at Malaria No More UK.

Image credit: Hugo Bainbridge/Malaria No More UK