Malaria still kills nearly half a million people every year, most of whom live in Africa. Because it’s transmitted by mosquitoes, interventions against mosquito bites – such as indoor spraying and mosquito nets – have played a crucial part in reducing cases. But there’s still a long way to go. A major line of inquiry has been about what attracts and repels mosquitoes to certain individuals. This would open the door to new tools, such as chemical lures and traps. Madelien Wooding and Yvette Naude explain what they found in their new research into chemicals found on the surface of our skin and why their insights bring us one step closer to figuring out why mosquitoes bite some people and not others.

African governments have historically neglected the funding of research and development in spite of its role in advancing human development. This lack of investment has been brutally exposed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. With 14% of the world’s population, Africa produces only 0.1% of the world’s vaccines. Little wonder that Africans were last to access adequate COVID-19 test kits, personal protective equipment and now vaccines. But does the crisis also present an opportunity? Some of the continent’s top scientists believe it does. In their open letter to African political and research leaders, Janet Midega, Catherine Kyobutungi, Emelda Okiro, Fredros Okumu, Ifeyinwa Aniebo and Ngozi Erondu discuss how COVID-19 should serve as a wake-up call to governments to support research capacity.

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