With concerted efforts and policies, we can stop malaria deaths once and for all

Signs of artemisinin resistance have already been detected in Southeast Asia, and unless we immediately improve standards of treatment, the problem could soon spread here.

The consequences would be devastating for Africa and could include a significant decrease in the effectiveness of malaria treatment, a dramatic resurgence of malaria mortality, and a significant increase in the costs required to treat malaria.

That is why we are making a concerted effort to stop artemisinin resistance by pushing to ban the importation, production, distribution, and use of artemisinin monotherapies.

We know the malaria parasite will develop ways to survive these simpler forms of treatment.

Only complex artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) appear capable of fending off resistance, and we are committed to promoting universal access to ACTs, as well as the development of a safe and effective malaria vaccine that can help us finally win the fight against malaria by preventing a new generation of African children from ever falling ill with the disease.

We owe it to current and future generations of African children to show the leadership and commitment to beat malaria once and for all.

Working together, African leaders can make a difference.

Joy Phumaphi is the executive secretary of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA), a coalition of 30 African heads of state who are committed to enhancing Africa’s role in the fight against malaria. Ms Phumaphi was recently vice president of human development at the World Bank and was formerly Assistant Director General of the World Health Organisation and Minister of Health of the Republic of Botswana.