Achieving global malaria eradication in changing landscapes

Fornace, K. M. , Diaz, A. V., Lines, J. and Drakeley, C. J. (2021) Achieving global malaria eradication in changing landscapes. Malaria Journal, 20, 69. (doi: 10.1186/s12936-021-03599-0) (PMID:33530995) (PMCID:PMC7856737)

Abstract

Land use and land cover changes, such as deforestation, agricultural expansion and urbanization, are one of the largest anthropogenic environmental changes globally. Recent initiatives to evaluate the feasibility of malaria eradication have highlighted impacts of landscape changes on malaria transmission and the potential of these changes to undermine malaria control and elimination efforts. Multisectoral approaches are needed to detect and minimize negative impacts of land use and land cover changes on malaria transmission while supporting development aiding malaria control, elimination and ultimately eradication. Pathways through which land use and land cover changes disrupt social and ecological systems to increase or decrease malaria risks are outlined, identifying priorities and opportunities for a global malaria eradication campaign. The impacts of land use and land cover changes on malaria transmission are complex and highly context-specific, with effects changing over time and space. Landscape changes are only one element of a complex development process with wider economic and social dimensions affecting human health and wellbeing. While deforestation and other landscape changes threaten to undermine malaria control efforts and have driven the emergence of zoonotic malaria, most of the malaria elimination successes have been underpinned by agricultural development and land management. Malaria eradication is not feasible without addressing these changing risks while, conversely, consideration of malaria impacts in land management decisions has the potential to significantly accelerate progress towards eradication. Multisectoral cooperation and approaches to linking malaria control and environmental science, such as conducting locally relevant ecological monitoring, integrating landscape data into malaria surveillance systems and designing environmental management strategies to reduce malaria burdens, are essential to achieve malaria eradication.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work was partially funded by the World Health Organization under the Strategic Advisory Group for Malaria Eradication. Additional funding support was provided by the CGIAR Research Programme on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH; https://a4nh.cgiar.org/).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Fornace, Dr Kimberly
• Authors: Fornace, K. M., Diaz, A. V., Lines, J., and Drakeley, C. J.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
• Journal Name: Malaria Journal
• Publisher: BioMed Central
• ISSN: 1475-2875
• ISSN (Online): 1475-2875
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Malaria Journal 20: 69
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License