Dr. STEVEN PHILLIPS talks to CINDY SHINER
What researchers call the world’s most advanced malaria vaccine candidate is being tested in 11 places in seven African countries.
Despite recent achievements in fighting malaria, the international community must not become complacent or distracted, says Dr. Steven Phillips, medical director of global issues and projects for ExxonMobil. Phillips, who also serves on the board of Malaria No More, spoke with allAfrica.com ahead of World Malaria Day, reflecting on progress in the fight against the disease.
When we spoke last year you were very positive about the battle against malaria, citing increased funding, the availability of good tools to fight the disease and greater political will. Are you still as positive now as you were then?
I think there’s even more cause for being positive but there’s also some cautionary flags. The positive is that the investment is working. Global investment in malaria control is paying off, and the funding which has cascaded dramatically over the last 10 years has resulted in saving lives and improvement in prevention and treatment.
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