Malaria in Asia Pacific: An interview with Sir Richard Feachem

Sir Richard Feachem is in Brisbane this week to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Queensland. While in Brisbane, he was interviewed by ABC’s Radio National, interestingly also known as the ‘Ideas Network’.

Sir Richard explained why we sometimes hear conflicting reports suggesting, on the one hand, there is a lot to be concerned about when it comes to malaria in Asia Pacific, but also hear that great progress is being made against the disease.

“The headline is that progress is stunningly positive around the world, and particularly in Asia Pacific we’ve seen enormous progress in the past 15 years,” said Sir Richard. “But we also have the emergence of resistance by the parasite to the most commonly used drug worldwide. That resistance is emerging in the Greater Mekong sub-region.”

During the interview, Sir Richard also touched on the recently endorsed Roadmap to eliminate malaria in Asia Pacific by 2030, and the critical role of governments in driving momentum against malaria, and of global health financing mechanisms such as the Global Fund.

Professor Sir Richard Feachem is Chair of the Global Health Group at the University of California.