Malaria still a danger, even for Italy

The Italian malaria specialists informed the Italian ministers of Health and of the University and Research on the occasion of the Conference on Health organized by the Italian Presidency of the G7. Italian scholars are sounding the alarm on the global impact of malaria because Italy activates public funding to support Italian research against this devastating disease. Ten years ago, the ISS founded, together with nine universities, the Italian Malaria Network to bring together the groups of excellence that in our country conduct parasitological, clinical, epidemiological and pharmacological research on malaria. Today, 126 Italian researchers, of which almost a fifth work in the ISS, have therefore signed this open letter, also addressed to the ministers of Education, University and Research. The letter indicates the risks of the possible spread in Africa of strains of malarial parasites resistant to the most modern drugs and stresses that the global movement of goods and people does not exempt Europe and Italy from these risks. The researchers note that, while global funding for the fight against malaria has grown twenty times in the last 15 years, Italian malaria research still does not receive any significant public funding and therefore launch an appeal for Italy to initiate a decisive turnaround also important for affirming our country's leadership at an international level in research and innovation on global health issues.