The Malaria Consortium Chief Executive, Dr James Tibenderana, speaks with Myriad Australia — a giving community that connects donors with high-impact organisations tackling global challenges — about his personal connection to malaria and his commitment to ending the disease. He reflects on Malaria Consortium’s work using proven tools like insecticide-treated nets, rapid diagnostic tests and seasonal malaria chemoprevention, and shows why strong health systems, collaboration and sustained funding are key to protect hard-won gains against malaria.
On 23 April, World Malaria Day, the first insights report by and for people who fight malaria in their commmunities will be launched. This report was developed in collaboration with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. And because The Geneva Learning Foundation turns ten this year, we will share what is coming next. New courses, new programmes, and new ways to join.
- The rollout of malaria vaccines and treatments across African countries and key milestones achieved.
- New tools to track vaccine introduction, including the IVAC malaria vaccine tracker.
- The current global state of malaria and recent increases in cases in specific countries.
- Early indications of how reductions in U.S. funding may influence malaria control, leading to an increase in cases and deaths.
- How funding changes may affect countries’ ability to expand access to malaria vaccines.
- What these developments mean for global malaria control efforts in 2026 and beyond.
Jane M. Carlton, PhD, director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the School and in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering. Her research uses comparative and integrative multi-molecular approaches to further understand the biology and evolution of malaria parasites and their mosquito vectors.
William Moss, MD, a professor in the departments of Epidemiology and International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute; and executive director at the School’s International Vaccine Access Center. His research focuses on the epidemiology and control of malaria in southern Africa.
- Insecticide resistance: Resistance to pyrethroids (the main chemical on bed nets) is widespread, confirmed in 48 out of 53 reporting countries.
- Diagnostic failure: pfhrp2 gene deletions, which can make rapid diagnostic tests fail, are spreading and now reported in 46 endemic countries.
- Invasive mosquitoes: Anopheles stephensi, an urban-dwelling, insecticide-resistant mosquito, is expanding its range in Africa, posing a new threat to cities.
- Systemic challenges: A massive funding gap: 2024 funding (US$ 3.9 billion) was less than half of the US$ 9.3 billion 2025 target. A projected shortfall of US$ 5.4 billion leaves the response dangerously under-resourced.
- Fragility of aid: Recent cuts in global health aid have disrupted health systems, surveillance, and campaigns, demonstrating how quickly progress can be undone.
- Humanitarian & environmental challenges: Climate change, conflict, and humanitarian crises continue to drive malaria resurgence and disrupt essential services. Despite the challenges, several interventions are being successfully scaled up and showing impact: New-Generation nets: In 2024, 84% of nets shipped to Africa were the more effective PBO or dual active ingredient nets, up from just 10% in 2019.
- Chemoprevention: Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) now reaches 54 million children. Perennial malaria chemoprevention (PMC) is also expanding.
- Improved treatment of children: More febrile children are being diagnosed and treated with effective medicines (ACTs) than in the past.
Nations are leading. Science is delivering. Communities are driving change. We can end malaria in our lifetime. Now We Can. Now We Must.
Science is advancing faster than ever, and ending malaria in our lifetime is now a real possibility. Now We Can. Now We Must.
The next generation could grow up in a world free from malaria. Now We Can. Now We Must.
When funding falls, malaria rebounds fast. Children will die if momentum slips. Now We Can. Now We Must.
National leadership is driving this forward. Momentum is building. Now We Can. Now We Must.
TAKE ACTIONS: We can end malaria. Not someday, but in our lifetime.
- Sustain & scale funding, with efficiency: Commit to sustained, diversified financing—both international and domestic. In an era of real financial constraints, every dollar must work harder. We must prioritize high-impact, data-driven interventions and deliver optimized responses that maximize value and minimize waste. Funding is what gets new vaccines, treatments, and tools out of labs and into the communities that need them most.
- Champion country leadership: Support nationally-led programmes that are driving change and tailor interventions to local needs for maximum impact. Strong national ownership is the foundation of an efficient and sustainable response.
- Ensure consistent partner support: Progress depends on predictable, aligned, and consistent support from all partners. Sustainable gains are built not on sporadic commitments, but on reliable collaboration that allows countries to plan and implement for the long term.
- Accelerate innovation: Continue to invest in research and development for new generations of tools, including those to beat insecticide, diagnostic and drug resistance.
- Empower communities: Engage and resource communities as protagonists in their own health, everyone has a role to play.



















