The global malaria situation has scarcely improved in the last 100 years, despite major advances in our knowledge of the basic biology, epidemiology and clinical basis of the disease. Effective malaria control, leading to a significant decrease in the morbidity and mortality attributable to malaria, will require a multidisciplinary approach. Sustainable malaria control may require the deployment of a highly effective vaccine, but there is much that can be done in the meantime to reduce the burden of disease. Work on malaria has been central to the London School since its inception. The main strength of the School lies in the interdisciplinary nature of our work, with expertise from molecular genetics to health policy and economics of malaria control.
Malaria remains as big a threat to human health, welfare and economic development as ever.
Despite decades of research, and major steps forward in treatment and prevention, the death toll remains above a million per year with more than 500 million clinical cases annually. The development of a malaria vaccine must be seen as a vital contribution to this overall strategy but not as a panacea. Any remaining faults are my responsibility, not theirs.