Having received the 9th Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Development Cooperation, researcher Pedro Alonso warns in this interview that the world is still far from achieving the necessary goals to eradicate malaria. Drawing on his extensive experience in global health and the development of control and prevention strategies, Alonso analyzes the progress made in recent decades, as well as the persistent barriers: drug and insecticide resistance, inequalities in access to treatment, lack of stable funding, and the need to strengthen local health systems. His reflections highlight the importance of combining biomedical research, vaccine innovation, and international cooperation to reduce the burden of this disease, which disproportionately affects the most vulnerable countries.
The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Development Cooperation category goes, in this ninth
Having received the 9th Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Development Cooperation, researcher Pedro Alonso warns in this interview that the world is still far from achieving the necessary goals to eradicate malaria. Drawing on his extensive experience in global health and the development of control and prevention strategies, Alonso analyzes the progress made in recent decades, as well as the persistent barriers: drug and insecticide resistance, inequalities in access to treatment, lack of stable funding, and the need to strengthen local health systems. His reflections highlight the importance of combining biomedical research, vaccine innovation, and international cooperation to reduce the burden of this disease, which disproportionately affects the most vulnerable countries.
The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Development Cooperation category goes, in this ninth edition, to researchers Pedro L. Alonso and Peter J. Myler, for major contributions in the detection and prevention of complex infectious diseases like malaria and Chagas, which are behind effective approaches to reduce the burden they impose on developing countries.
00:00 Introduction
00:05 The jury has selected you and Professor Myler together to highlight that there is no single path to eradicating infectious diseases. How do you conceive this multidisciplinary approach, and how does it relate in your case to basic researchers?
01:43 With regard to your own work, particular emphasis has been placed on your experimental evaluation of the effectiveness of mosquito nets and your research on vaccines as two of the pillars that currently underpin the fight against malaria. Which achievements over the course of your career are you most proud of?
04:54 You currently lead the WHO Global Malaria Programme. What still needs to be done from the perspective of public health decision-makers to combat these diseases that hinder the development of countries?
