Today’s Solutions: May 15, 2025

Mosquitos can be a pesky summertime problem, but for countries who have not eradicated malaria, they can be more than an itchy nuisance – they can be deadly. The good news: according to the Lancet Commission on malaria eradication, we have the technology required to eradicate the disease, and if we play our cards right, we could do so by 2050.

The key is accelerating the downward curve of malaria prevalence. Issues like poverty, political unrest, and increased temperatures can all stagnate malaria reduction, but three critical steps can keep us moving in the right direction:

  1. Enhance eradication software — give national malaria managers and staff the monitoring resources they need to visualize the crisis
  2. New eradication hardware — rapid diagnosis and vaccinations are key, but so are radical technologies like gene drives to reduce the prevalence of disease-carrying bugs
  3. Financial investment — increasing funds from $4 to $6 billion a year would be a crucial tipping point for malaria treatment

We have the tools at our disposal to make malaria a disease of the past. The key is using these tools effectively to mobilize medical treatment to areas where knowledge and implementation of treatment are lacking.

 

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

Massachusetts millionaires multiply, thrive, and boost public services under ...

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM When Massachusetts voters approved the Fair Share Amendment in 2022—a four percent surtax on income over $1 million—critics ...

Read More

Why reading aloud to your kids matters—even after they’ve learned to do...

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM For many families, reading aloud is a cherished part of childhood—a bedtime story, a favorite picture book, or ...

Read More

Thought Leader Series: Rethinking the virus and the future

Millions of species on Earth, from tiny microorganisms to the blue whale, all work together to maintain a stable biodiverse ecosystem everywhere on the ...

Read More

6 sustainable ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year

Valentine's Day may be about love for most people, but it's not so sweet for Mother Nature. This holiday supports some of the major ...

Read More