We were recently asked several questions and felt the questions and our comments might be of interest to a wider audience.
- Bed nets protect at night. What about during the day?
The overwhelming majority of malaria-carrying mosquitoes bite at night, typically between 10pm and 2am. Hence the importance and effectiveness of the net.
- In your opinion, is donating to malaria vaccine development more or less worthy than donating to LLIN distribution, and why?
I'd stick to a fact and a hope. The fact is that if enough bednets were deployed and continued to be used so universal coverage of communities is achieved – eminently achievable if the funds were there – then we can dramatically reduce the level of malaria and, broadly speaking, bring malaria 'under control'. That does not mean elimination as that is a specific scientific term, but 'under control' means a level of malaria that is an order of magnitude, if not several orders of magnitude, below what it is today. A hope is that a vaccine will be found. Finding one has proved, and is proving, very difficult indeed. Finding one requires research and that requires money so I am fully supportive of all and every attempt to find a vaccine. If one were found, it would have a dramatic impact on the fight against malaria. There are a number of groups and very wealthy philanthropists who have made significant donations to vaccine research work. So, eggs in two baskets, not one. If I have to personally decide where I place my $100 donation, now? Bednets to protect people, now. Our most recent vaccine update.