Malaria Control, Elimination, and Eradication: The Role of the Evolving Biomedical Research Agenda

PERSPECTIVE • JID 2009:200 (1 December) • 1639 Although it is an ancient and historical disease, malaria persists unabated in many parts of the world today. An estimated 3.3 billion people—approximately one-half of the world’s population living in 109 coun tries—are at risk of contracting this seri ous and often life-threatening disease. Ma laria accounts for ∼250 million clinical cases and nearly 1 million deaths each year, the great majority of which occur in chil dren younger than 5 years of age and in young, pregnant women. Malaria influ ences the social and economic well-being of societies in affected areas, draining scarce health and human resources, inter fering with educational achievement, and causing persistent economic disadvan tage [1]. In October 2007, Bill and Melinda Gates issued a call for a renewed effort at achieving global malaria eradication [2]. Whereas elimination involves ridding lo cal and regional populations of the para-