Did you know that the U.S. government and E.U. countries spend a relatively large amount of money on malaria research? The United States National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases funds the International Centers of Excellence for Malaria Research (ICEMR). ICEMR is a global network of independent research centers in malaria-endemic countries that support researchers in various aspects of malaria research. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation also funds malaria research for humanitarian purposes. So you might wonder – why is this important when malaria is not prevalent in Europe or the United States?
First, malaria used to be much more widespread than it is now. Less than a hundred years ago, malaria was epidemic across the globe, including Europe and North America. Did you know that 30% of the population of the Tennessee Valley region was infected with malaria in 1933? The creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in the 1930’s prompted the investment of malaria control by the US government. By 1947, malaria was effectively eradicated in the region, and by 1951 the US was effectively malaria-free. The United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has a comprehensive history of malaria available on their website. Mosquitoes are the way that the parasite (Plasmodium spp.) is spread in humans. For US citizens who live in warmer climates, you probably pay a property tax, or through your other taxes, fund mosquito vector control efforts in your area.
Once bitten by a parasite-carrying mosquito, the parasite infects people and causes the symptoms of malaria. Malaria can cause high fever, chills, flu-like symptoms, and anemia, which can be especially dangerous for pregnant women. Children who get malaria can suffer lifelong side effects of the disease.
But, why is this important to those of us who live in countries where malaria has been eradicated? The primary answer is humanitarian. The CDC has some fast facts on just how many people are affected by malaria and the numbers are staggering. Over three billion people live in at-risk areas for malaria. In 2010, malaria caused 216 million clinical episodes and over 655,000 deaths. It’s hard to stabilize economies and populations in developing parts of the world with people at risk for such a debilitating disease.
Understanding and controlling malaria is very important to many countries’ military operations. Service personnel are dispatched to many tropical and sub-tropical countries where malaria is still prevalent. Sick soldiers are not in the best interest of the military, and so many armed forces have their own malaria research and prevention groups that work closely with global research and public health organizations.
Controlling mosquitoes is one portion of malaria research. Other areas include creating drugs to prevent infection, understanding how the infections affect the human immune response, creating vaccines to prevent malaria. Since malaria is treatable and preventable, this is where a lot of the research funding is spent.