There has been excellent progress towards malaria elimination during the past decade, with 21 countries included in the E-2020 initiative as having the potential to achieve interruption of the transmission of malaria by 2020. Every effort needs to be made to sustain the drive towards elimination in these countries and to provide them with the necessary technical and financial support that will allow them to prevent re-establishment of the infection.
With a major focus on malaria elimination the fact that, after a period of substantial success, progress in malaria control has stalled in a substantial number of countries in West and Central Africa has been relatively neglected. This situation has, however, recently changed with the publication of WHO’s 2017 World Malaria Report which indicates clearly that there has been a levelling off in the reduction in deaths and cases of malaria achieved during the past two decades in many countries in West and Central Africa, reflecting the on the ground experience of those working in these areas. In this talk reasons why progress has stalled will be discussed and the need for innovative approaches to malaria control in these areas if they are to achieve a position in which malaria elimination becomes a realistic target will be emphasised. What these new approaches might be will be reviewed.