Australian support for eliminating malaria and health research in the Indo-Pacific

  • Media release

The Australian Government is pleased to support the inaugural Malaria World Congress, held in Melbourne from 1-5 July. The meeting has brought together global specialists to share ideas and strategies towards the goal of eliminating malaria.

Australia is playing a leading role in supporting malaria elimination efforts, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. The Government's Stronger Systems for Health Security program is supporting practical, relevant research into fundamental health security challenges.

Today, I announce the following research projects will be supported by this program:

  • University of Newcastle for upskilling Papua New Guinea's frontline health security workforce and policymakers to help them identify and address some of the country's most serious health security threats;
  • Menzies School of Health Research for improved disease surveillance in Timor-Leste and for strengthened responses to multidrug-resistant malaria and tuberculosis in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea;
  • University of Sydney for combating the spread of antimicrobial resistance in Vietnam and for strengthening water-borne disease prevention and outbreak response in Fiji;
  • Burnet Institute for real-time surveillance of mosquito-borne diseases, including malaria, in Papua New Guinea and provide early warning of drug and insecticide resistance; and
  • University of New South Wales research into the role of private suppliers of antibiotics in contributing to the growth of antimicrobial resistance in Indonesia.

The funding is part of the Government's $300 million Health Security Initiative for the Indo-Pacific, which is helping countries in the region respond to the threat of infectious diseases by strengthening prevention, detection and response capacity.

As a member of the End Malaria Council, I am pleased to highlight Australia's world-class contributions to the fight against malaria.

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