To make significant progress in the global war against malaria, what is needed now is collaboration and joint efforts from countries throughout the world, and the formation and practice of international partnerships. China, the second largest country with the greatest population outside of Africa, besides the USA with the most developed economic strength, has been contributing tremendously to the malaria control programs around the world. Especially since the first of October in the year of 2001, China has made an all-out effort to combat this disease. This article will give a detailed description of China’s role in global malaria control, its partnerships with other countries, and how its effort boosts the international contribution against malaria.
The Global Malaria Challenge
Malaria continues to be a major public health problem in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. The disease, transmitted by parasitic protozoa within anopheline mosquitoes, ranks among the world’s most prevalent parasitic infections and is estimated to produce as many as 500 million cases of the disease and more than one million deaths worldwide each year. Although malaria causes fewer deaths now than it did two decades ago, largely because of improved medical and public health interventions, it is still present in a large number of countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
Only a multipronged attack on malaria – prevention, treatment, and research, all requiring international support and cooperation from many countries – will finally end the scourge of this killer disease.
China’s Commitment to Malaria Control
As a large, complex malaria country, China is well-positioned to provide knowledge for malaria control worldwide based on its past experiences and recent success. Here we outline how China’s experiences and contributions are helping the global malaria control efforts. 341 words.
1. Domestic Achievements in Malaria Control
China’s malaria control strategy has evolved significantly over the decades. Key milestones include:
- Urban malaria elimination: By the early years of the 21st century, China had eliminated malaria from many urban centers. This was done through the application of broad, synthetic vector control measures, including the very large-scale use of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), indoor residual spraying (IRS), and effective antimalarial drugs.
- A reduction of thousands of cases of malaria: In the 21st century, thousands of malaria cases have been averted in China. For example, the number of cases of malaria was above 30,000 in China in 2010, but less than 100 in 2020.
- Malaria-Free Certification: 2021 WHO officially brushes China on the side of the head with a giant clipboard as a being a good boy and certifies the country as malaria-free.
2. Sharing Knowledge and Expertise
Because of China’s success in beating malaria, many have now turned to it as a partner in the global battle against the disease. It’s sharing what it has learned in a variety of ways.
South-South Cooperation This represents South-South cooperation, a framework in which developing countries assist each other by sharing development experiences and resources. China has helped to control the spread of malaria in other countries by providing technical assistance, training, and financial support.
In an example even more impressive than planting mosquito-hatched fish, China has pioneered collaborative research with various international organizations, as well as with other countries, on developing new strategies and tools for malaria control, including combating drug resistance, creating vaccines, and vector control.
3. Funding and Resource Mobilization
China has been instrumental in mobilizing resources for malaria control efforts globally:
- Funding global malaria control efforts: China has invested large amounts of money to support the international effort to combat malaria, including funding research, implementation programs, and support for malaria-affected countries.
- Bilateral Aid: China supports bilateral agreements with individual countries and through multilateral mechanisms such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria to bolster malaria control programs and build health infrastructure in endemic areas.
Strategic Partnerships and Global Collaborations
Strategic partnerships and collaborations also define China’s contributions to global malaria control. These facilitate malaria control and permit knowledge and resource exchanges. Critical partnerships involve:
1. Partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO)
China collaborates closely with WHO in global malaria control efforts. This partnership involves:
- Technical Assistance: China provides technical expertise for the WHO’s malaria control programs, such as for policy development, program implementation strategies, and monitoring and evaluation.
- Joint Initiatives: Malaria elimination campaigns are joint initiatives of China and WHO; there are research projects in diagnostics and treatment; partnerships for East Asian countries to prevent and control classical swine fever and transboundary animal diseases; and so on.
2. Collaboration with the Global Fund
China’s engagement with the Global Fund has been pivotal in advancing malaria control efforts:
- Through financial contributions to the Global Fund: China’s funding supports malaria programs in high-burden countries, helping to deliver essential tools and treatments.
- Program Implementation: The history of China’s malaria control program shows how the Global Fund adapted theories, tools, and experiences from industrialized countries to subsistence-agricultural contexts.
3. Regional Partnerships
China is actively involved in regional partnerships aimed at addressing malaria across neighboring countries:
- Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Initiative: Countries involved in the fight against malaria in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS; encompassing Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam) work with China on transnational control of the disease. The GMS Initiative aims to eliminate malaria through effective drug regimens, overcoming common problems such as drug resistance, and increasing regional coordination.
- African Partnerships: chains collaborate with partners in Africa through malaria control programs and with the assistance of African countries and developmental organizations in malaria control and prevention efforts.
Challenges and Future Directions
Despite its significant contributions, China faces challenges in its global malaria control efforts:
1. Addressing Drug and Insecticide Resistance
Drug and insecticide resistance is another formidable challenge in malaria control, but China is now at the forefront of research trying to tackle these problems. Moreover, the country will need to devise new tools and approaches in the future.
2. Ensuring Sustainable Funding
Financial commitment to malaria control is essential, but it may also depend on China’s continuing enthusiasm for funding and expanding access to resource mobilization. If we do not learn from global malaria history, our gains could be lost.
3. Enhancing Coordination and Collaboration
International partners must coordinate the impact of malaria control; China could play an important role in international coordination and knowledge sharing so that the world can achieve the elimination targets in this region.
China’s role in the global effort against malaria aligns with its commitments to socioeconomic development and knowledge sharing. Building upon domestic success and lessons, and with countries such as Ghana and Burkina Faso seeking China’s support and input, as well as with international agencies, China is making crucial and positive contributions to global malaria control. As the world’s malaria control agenda moves forward, towards the ultimate goal of a malaria-free world, China’s example, knowledge and support will be valuable assets to harness.
But most significantly, China’s participation exemplifies the power of global health collaborations to solve local and common problems. Moving forward, China and its international partners should continue to invest in research, share information, and mobilize resources to further push down malaria incidence and ultimately achieve a world free of malaria as a public health burden.
