When World Malaria Day was established 11 years ago, this ancient mosquito-borne disease was overwhelming health systems. In Sub-Saharan Africa, children’s wards in hospitals were filled with malaria patients. Global success in reducing the malaria burden to current levels is a triumph of partnership – and has led the malaria community to shift our ambitions from malaria control to eradication of the disease.
Sumitomo Chemical is an active partner in the fight to conquer malaria. In the face of growing drug and insecticide resistance, we believe it is urgent for the global community to put the final effort into conquering malaria, ensuring that people everywhere can bring up their children, go to school and work without suffering from the health and economic impacts of malaria. Since opening the Olyset® Net factory in Tanzania in 2007, Sumitomo Chemical research into fighting insecticide resistance has yielded the introduction of Olyset® Plus, a new class of long lasting mosquito net containing permethrin and PBO (piperonyl butoxide) designed to kill insecticide-resistant mosquitoes and SumiShield®, an indoor residual wall spray with the first new mode of action in over forty years. We are firmly committed to continuing to develop innovative vector control tools until malaria is ultimately eradicated.
Global partners’ shared efforts to end malaria are also an essential means of strengthening health systems and achieving the goal of Universal Health Coverage: to eliminate malaria, partners must build community health worker capacity, strong supply chains, and robust disease surveillance systems – all of which support UHC. Conversely, if our efforts falter and malaria resurges, we know fragile health systems will again by overwhelmed by malaria cases.
“Our commitment to develop innovative vector control tools is not just about eradicating malaria — it is a vehicle for advancing toward Universal Health Coverage,” says Ray Nishimoto, Executive Vice President, Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. “We cannot eradicate malaria without providing protection and treatment for all people, including migrants and refugees. We cannot eradicate malaria without addressing climate change. These critical issues are interlinked, and we in the private sector have an essential role working in multi-stakeholder partnerships to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.”
#ZeroMalariaStartsWithMe
#StepUptheFight
#UHC2030
® Olyset and SumiShield are registered trademarks of Sumitomo Chemical Company Ltd.