Washington Post: The malaria fight stalls as children die by the hundreds of thousands
Editorial Board

“For years, global public health officials have been at war with malaria … The number of cases and deaths has steadily dropped for a decade and a half. … But the battle shows signs of stalling. … As [Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,] pointed out, globally, tools that brought progress are wearing out. The nets, sprays, and drugs ‘aren’t working as well as they used to.’ … For the first time, a vaccine shows partial protection against malaria in young children and has been cleared for pilot introduction in Africa to complement other efforts. Over the longer run, there is hope that technology such as the genetic editing tool known as CRISPR can be used to modify mosquitoes so they don’t spread the disease. This seems like an example of the kind of genetic editing that would present a handsome payoff to humankind and be worth the risk if it works. The fight against malaria can’t be won with a dramatic ‘moonshot’ campaign but rather by action on many fronts. A stall, after so much promise, would be terrible and costly” (7/1).