Experts From All Over the World Convene in Barcelona for a Course on the Science of Malaria Eradication

The second edition of the course "Science of Eradication: Malaria" offering an interdisciplinary perspective on the elimination and eradication of malaria took place in Barcelona between 5 and 10 May, 2013. This training course was organised by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) in collaboration with the Harvard School of Public Health and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

The course, which is accredited by the University of Barcelona (UB), brought together over 60 experts in malaria research from 30 different countries at the Centro de Cultura Contemporánea de Barcelona (CCCB). The opening session took place on Sunday 5 May in the CCCB with the inaugural presentation "Setting the Stage for Malaria Eradication" by Robert Newman, director of the Global Malaria Programme at the World Health Organisation.

The first edition of this course took place in Boston and its third edition, in 2014, will be held in Switzerland. The multidisciplinary programme includes the effective use of real-world evidence and findings. Participants acquire the knowledge and skills needed for controlling and eliminating malaria and for implementing eradication programmes, building on the lessons learned from previous disease eradication efforts, among other aspects.

Other Activities

As part of this event, a number of free activities were organised to provide information concerning malaria to both the general public and the specialist. On 7 May there was a film screening followed by a discussion. This was the first showing in Spain of the film Mary and Martha starring two-time Oscar award winning actor Hilary Swank. On Wednesday 8 May at 12:00 hours, Professor Dyann Wirth of the Harvard School of Public Health gave the second Global Health Lecture on the subject of genetics and global health in the Centro Esther Koplowitz auditorium.