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Malaria Elimination

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Renews Funding for the Malaria Eradication Scientific Alliance

Hosted by ISGlobal, MESA will support global efforts to eradicate malaria

09.08.2017

The Malaria Eradication Scientific Alliance (MESA) starts a second phase of activities thanks to the renewed support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Over a three and a half year period (2017-2020), MESA will support global efforts for malaria eradication by strengthening coordination and collaboration in malaria research, ensuring access to emerging evidence, and translating this evidence into policies and practices.

“From its ISGlobal headquarters, MESA is uniquely positioned to do this since its governance structure includes WHO, key funders, academic institutions andscientists from endemic countries”, says Antoni Plasència, Director General of ISGlobal, an institution supported by the “la Caixa” Foundation.

First launched in 2012, MESA is a platform that brings together academic, implementation and policymaking partners working to advance the science of malaria eradication. It is based on the concept that “an optimized, funded and evolving research agenda is critical for global eradication”.

“Malaria parasites and vectors are in constant evolution, influenced by the implementation of disease interventions. In addition, human populations and socioeconomic conditions are highly dynamic. Therefore, the malaria field needs to be agile and develop and adapt new tools, policies and practices in order to better fight against the disease” says Regina Rabinovich, chair of the Alliance and Director of the Malaria Elimination Initiative at ISGlobal.

MESA will contribute to this by working along three main lines:

  • Manage and share new data, projects and investments -ongoing and planned- through the enlargement of the MESA Track data base
  • Strengthen the malaria elimination research agenda through a forum where stakeholders can discuss, prioritize and advance the agenda.
  • Accelerate translation of evidence into policies and practices, by ensuring the information is incorporated into the decision making process as early as possible.