Leading manufacturer of bed nets, Vestergaard has called for increased collaboration to improve innovative ideas that can effectively fight the malaria scourge.
Michael Joos, the company’s chief executive officer underscoring the importance of long-lasting insecticidal nets in malaria control programmes said bed net development must progress as fast as mosquito’s resistance evolves.
Malaria prevention in most countries still relies on mass or routine distribution of bed nets, according to the 2020 World Malaria Report by the World Health Organisation.
Speaking during a virtual conference convened by the Corporate Alliance on Malaria in Africa (CAMA), Joos raised the issue of high complexity involved in the research and development process of the manufacturing of new generation of bed nets.
He argued that a renewed engagement between the private sector, donor organisations and malaria programmes of endemic countries can help mitigate the risks and costs involved.
“To bring new generation nets to communities that need them will require a more strategic level of interaction between the private sector and the institutions buying and deploying these innovations at scale,” advised Joos.
“By fast-tracking the regulatory pathway to market, improving tools to evaluate bed net performance in real conditions of use, and ensuring faster adoption of new nets at scale, the malaria community can not only save time and money but also improve impact,” he added.
Joos applauded the End Malaria Project initiative seeking to galvanise support towards reducing the incidence and prevalence of malaria in Nigeria, saying it was encouraging for communities to step up efforts against malaria despite the obstacles.
CAMA launched the End Malaria Project as the panel discussion came to a close, calling for greater collaboration and coordination to achieve a common goal.
The alliance is a GBCHealth-led initiative to drive partnerships for malaria control and elimination under a coalition of companies from various industries, all with business interests in Africa.
Vestergaard is renowned for manufacturing innovative tools to improve global health outcomes with products such as PermaNet long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) to prevent malaria in mainly low- and middle-income countries.
The Switzerland-based company has manufactured 800 million bed nets protecting an estimated 1.6 billion lives in malaria-endemic countries. Additional company initiatives focus on fighting neglected tropical diseases, reducing food insecurity through Chombo and ZeroFly storage bags and utilising technology to drive data-driven decision making.
