Experts Discuss the Advances in the Fight Against Malaria
Central America is identified as a priority area where decisive action could completely eradicate malaria
26.01.2012
To celebrate World Malaria Day, ISGlobal and the Ramon Areces Foundation organised a symposium in Madrid on the subject of the Spanish Contribution to the Fight Against Malaria and the Elimination Effort. This event was attended by nearly 100 participants from all over the world, including international experts in the field of malaria, government representatives from Spain and Latin American countries as well as representatives of international organisations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the Carlos Slim Institute of Health, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Inter-American Development Bank.
Throughout the day, the reports presented by experts from different continents outlined the considerable progress that has been made in controlling malaria and even suggested that recent advances have once again put the idea of eradicating malaria completely in some parts of the world back on the agenda. Hoda Atta, regional malaria advisor at the WHO's Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, reported that several countries in that region, including Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, have been certified malaria-free in the past decade. Efforts are currently focused on Central America, the region now identified as a priority area for the elimination of the disease.
Presentations and discussions at the symposium also highlighted the extraordinary possibilities of public-private partnerships for promoting innovation and treatment options, and facilitating access to new vaccines and drugs. Roberto Tapia, director of the Carlos Slim Institute of Health, presented Salud Mesoamerica 2015, an initiative that seeks to reduce the gaps in health equity in the region. Francesca Boldrini, the head of Global Health and Advocacy in Europe for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, chose to emphasize the point that "philanthropy can never be a substitute for government action". In the closing speech, Gonzalo Robles, the Spanish General Secretary for Cooperation (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation) made it clear that "education and health would be key areas in the future plans of Spanish cooperation".
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The Malaria Eradication Agenda
Pedro Alonso, Director, Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)
Malaria in the World: Control and Eradication
Hoda Atta Malaria Regional Advisor, WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Egypt
Myriam Álvarez-Herrera, Caucaseco Scientific Research Centre, Colombia
Eusebio Macete, Director, Manhiça Health Research Centre (CISM), Mozambique
Central America: Progress and Challenges in the Eradication of Malaria
Keith Carter, Malaria Regional Adviser, Pan American Health Organization, PAHO
Carlos Saénz Torres, General Director, Public Health Vigilance, Ministry of Health, Nicaragua
Engels Ilich Bánegas, Chief, Malaria National Program, Ministry of Health, Honduras
Ing. José Rubén Gómez, Director, CHF Honduras
Public and Private Commitment to the Fight Against Malaria
D. Francesca Boldrini, Head of Public Health & Advocacy, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - Europe
Roberto Tapia, Director of the Carlos Slim Institute of Health
Rolando Hernández, Executive Secretary, Council of Ministers of Health of Central America (COMISCA)
Closing Session: Latin American–Spanish Relations and the Agenda for Cooperation in Health
Enrique V. Iglesias, General Secretary of Latin America, SEGIB
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