Bill Gates, Now we can chart a course to end the harm of malaria
As we develop these new tools, we also have to develop a more sophisticated understanding of how to deploy them. When you have several ways to fight more than one species of parasite, carried by many species of vector, you can’t afford to guess about strategy. What is the smartest way to combine our interventions so they have the maximum effect? We need to be able to answer these questions with evidence.
I believe modeling can help generate that evidence. I want to walk you through some charts from one malaria model to give you a sense of the kinds of answers they can provide.
When our friend and mentor Warren Buffett made his gift to our foundation five years ago, he was clear about the purpose philanthropy should serve. One of his famous quotes about finance is, “I don’t look to jump over 7 foot bars. I look around for 1 foot bars that I can step over.” Philanthropy is the other way around, he tells us. We should be looking around for the 7 foot bars; that’s why we exist.
Malaria eradication is a high bar. To reach it, it will take a constant, concerted effort to innovate. But we can do it. We can drive down the number of cases, lower and lower. We can keep introducing new and better tools, until we interrupt transmission like we’ve done in dozens of countries already. And, eventually, with relentless focus, we can eradicate malaria. We’ve already shrunk the malaria map considerably. We can make it disappear.
It won’t happen in four years, or in eight years. But the decisions we make now will determine what happens to malaria in the future.
The parasite has been killing children and sapping the strength of whole populations for tens of thousands of years. It is impossible to calculate the harm malaria has done to us. Now, we can chart a course to end it.
Thank you.
Source | Bill Gates Windows Home
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