Innovative Approaches to Exploit Host Plant Metabolites in Malaria Control

Baldwyn Torto, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, South Africa

ThSeventeen percent of the global infectious diseases are vector-borne which results in more than 700,000 deaths annually. Malaria ranks highest among these diseases, causing over 400,000 deaths yearly, mainly in children under 5 years of age. However, over 90 % of the global malaria burden disproportionately affects sub-Saharan Africa. A substantial gain in malaria control and consequent reduction in malaria deaths has been achieved between 2000 and 2015 attributed to a combination of interventions including long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs), indoor residual spraying (IRS), prompt diagnosis and treatment with artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTS). Spurred by the progress, the WHO Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030 proposes to reduce malaria deaths by at least 40% by 2020 and malaria incidence and mortality rates by at least 90% by 2030 and eradication by 2040. Surprisingly, malaria reduction has stalled or plateaued, with the levels of malaria associated mortality and morbidity remaining the same in 2015, 2016 and 2017..