Highlights of a Symposium, Malaria: Where are we Today, Where are we Going?

Abstract

Malaria continues to pose a major public health threat in endemic areas. However, times are changing, and many investments have been made in recent years into funding of malaria research, the development of more and improved control tools, and applying those to the field. Consequently, there is a renewed interest in going as far as considering the prospects of malaria elimination on a global scale. This goal cannot be reached without optimising and combining biotechnical, economical and social anthropological aspects. A symposium held on 25 January 2011 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, organised by the Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development, the Center for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam and the Academic Medical Center of the University of Amsterdam, focused on malaria and the malERA eradication program, summarizing the state of the art in malaria control and beyond, and offering insight into the various possible ways forward. This manuscript summarizes the information presented and the ensuing discussions.