Editor's note

Today is World Malaria Day. With more than 200 million cases of malaria and close to half a million deaths across the world in 2016, malaria remains one of the world’s worst infectious diseases. Africa still shoulders the biggest burden in the world - 90% of malaria cases and 92% of malaria deaths occur on the continent.

There have been impressive gains since 2000 with malaria deaths falling by more than 60%. But Willis Simon Akhwale explains that Africa has unfinished business before it’s able to end malaria for good. And even though South Africa is very close to elimination, Maureen Coetzee, Lizette Koekemoer and Basil Brooke set out why this goal won’t be achieved until a solution is found to deal with vectors that bite and breed outside. And you can read our earlier articles here.

Meanwhile, the re-use of millions of bed nets distributed across Africa has been a major source of tension. Lydiah Kibe explains why policy makers should embrace the fact that old bed nets are put to multiple uses.

South Africa is currently gripped by a debate about “white monopoly capital.”  Mohammad Amir Anwar unpacks the concept, arguing that it’s wrong for some to posit that the country doesn’t face a major challenge when it comes to ownership patterns.

Joy Wanja Muraya

Editor

Top story

A young girl with malaria rests in the inpatient ward of a health centre in the South Sudan. Reuters/Adriane Ohanesian

What Africa still needs to do to eliminate malaria

Willis Simon Akhwale, University of Washington

Eliminating malaria in Africa has been held back by a range of factors, including a lack of funds and drug and insecticide resistance challenges.

Science + Technology

  • Mosquito discovery sheds light on how malaria is spread in South Africa

    Maureen Coetzee, University of the Witwatersrand; Basil Brooke, University of the Witwatersrand; Lizette Koekemoer, University of the Witwatersrand

    Malaria in South Africa is close to being eliminated but to complicate matters scientists have identified a second mosquito transmitting the disease.

Health + Medicine

Business + Economy

Arts + Culture

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