President Sheikh Mohamed pledges to work with global partners to eradicate malaria

On World Malaria Day, the Ruler says fighting disease is a collective responsibility

President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed says the UAE will fight to end malaria through global partnerships. Chris Whiteoak / The National

President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed says the UAE is committed to eradicating malaria and will continue to work with international partners to fight the disease.

On World Malaria Day, April 25, Sheikh Mohamed tweeted that helping people in need is a collective responsibility.

“On #WorldMalariaDay we pledge to continue working alongside our global partners to support vulnerable communities at risk of the disease,” he said.

“It is our collective responsibility to help those in need and we must pursue all possible means to accelerate malaria eradication efforts.”

The UAE is a major contributor in the fight to make malaria history through the Roll Back Malaria initiative.

Sheikh Mohamed has donated millions of dollars to fight the disease.

In January, the UAE delivered a $5 million boost to an international campaign aimed at addressing the affects of climate change on efforts to eradicate malaria.

The Reaching the Last Mile initiative — a 10-year, $100 million fund to combat the world's deadliest diseases launched by the President in 2017 with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation — will provide the key investment over the next three years.

The financial assistance will allow for the expansion of the Forecasting Healthy Futures scheme, led by the US-based Malaria No More non-profit organisation.

Malaria is a preventable and treatable disease, but the WHO and its partners have reported that progress against it is being threatened.

Extreme weather events in Malawi and Pakistan have driven “very sharp” rises in malaria infections and deaths.

Cases in Pakistan last year, after devastating floods left a third of the country under water, rose four-fold to 1.6 million, according to the World Health Organisation.

In Malawi, Cyclone Freddy in March caused six months' worth of rain to fall in six days and a sharp increase in malaria cases, reported AFP.

The deluges created ideal breeding grounds for the mosquitoes that carry the disease.

In 2021, the WHO said there were an estimated 247 million cases worldwide and 619,000 deaths attributed to malaria.

Scientific breakthroughs meant more than a million children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi were given the RTS,S vaccine manufactured by British pharmaceutical giant GSK last year.

Malaria vaccination campaign - in pictures

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  Health officials administer the world's first vaccine against malaria in Malawi in December 2019. AP

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  Parents wait for their young children to receive the Mosquirix vaccine. AP

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  A baby from the village of Tomali is injected with the vaccine. AP

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  A nurse holds malaria vaccine vials at the Lumumba Sub-County Hospital in Kisumu, Kenya. Reuters

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  A nurse prepares to tend to a child with malaria at Marcory General Hospital in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on October 7, 2021. Reuters